Along the Journey
by JayColin
Summary: SLASH AU Various Pairings - Appendix of the Unexpected Love series. This is a collection of various one-shots set in the Unexpected Love universe and thus it is strongly recommended that you read the main story before reading any of the one-shots included here, as certain facts and story lines probably won't make sense without reading the main story.
1. Table of Contents

Unexpected Love: Along the Journey  
Written by J.C. Vascardi

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Hey all,

This is an appendix of one-shots set in the 'Unexpected Love' universe, which is currently comprised only of Book One: The Journey Begins. These one-shots will be a bit of a mixed bag of extra content that didn't make it into the main chapters of the story. That might be fluff pieces for Harry/Cedric, Edward/Ramesses, Charlie/Noah—potentially any couple featured in the story, possibly even including the straight couples. I will not be writing love scenes for the straight couples, but a few fluffy, romantic scenes are possible if the mood strikes me.

I may also consider extending a few scenes that appeared in the main story, so if there's a scene in the main story that you wished was longer let me know in a review and I might consider extending it here. I will also be doing at least a couple of one-shots detailing events that happened before the main story even began, which may even include scenes set in the very distant past when King Arthur and Merlin (and the Hogwarts founders) were still alive.

This first 'chapter' will be updated as new one-shots are added as basically a table of contents which will allow you to read the titles, summaries, warnings, and other information for the various one-shots so that you know if it's something you want to read or not. I'll include which chapter number each one-shot is so if you want to read the third one-shot and skip the first two you'll know which chapter to go directly to.

Hope you enjoy,

J.C. Vascardi

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#1 – Lucius and Draco: A Conversation

Summary: Set during the wedding reception for King Edward and Prince Ramesses, Lucius and Draco have a private conversation in which Lucius finds out just who his son has started dating… and he couldn't be any less than thrilled if he tried.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Slash

Pairings: Draco Malfoy/Bill Weasley, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Malfoy

Archive Chapter Number: 2

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#2 – Arrivals

Summary: During the wedding reception for Edward and Ramesses, Harry and Evan (Cedric in disguise) chat with some of the younger noble set, while they watch the arrivals of the foreign royalty—and even get to chat with some of them.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Slash, Incest, Twincest

Pairings: Harry Potter/Cedric Diggory; Charlie Weasley/ Noah Kirke (OMC); Asterion Black (OMC)/Abigail Cuffe (OFC); Regulus Black/Kolin Mikaels (OMC)

Archive Chapter Number: 3

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#3 – The Wedding Night

Summary: After the wedding reception dinner, Edward converses with a few people, before his new father-in-law gives him the key to Ramesses's chastity belt. Once Edward feels that he and Ramesses can leave without being missed, they retreat to the royal bedroom for the moment that Ramesses has been looking forward to for over a decade.

Rating: R

Warnings: Slash, Language, M/M Sex

Pairings: Edward Pendragon (OMC)/Ramesses Pendragon (OMC)

Archive Chapter Number: 4

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#4 – The Secrets of Albus Dumbledore

Summary: Albus Dumbledore reacts to Sybill Trelawney's prophecy about Harry and the Dark Lord and sets more plans into motion, as some very disturbing facts come to light…

Rating: R

Warnings: Evil Dumbledore, Manipulative Dumbledore

Pairings: James Potter/Lily Potter

Archive Chapter Number: 5


	2. Lucus and Draco: A Conversation

Unexpected Love: Along the Journey  
Written by J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. I'm not profiting on this story and it is not my intent to infringe on anyone's copyright or trademark. The only things about this story that I own are the characters and storylines not featured in the books.

Summary: Set during the wedding reception for King Edward and Prince Ramesses, Lucius and Draco have a private conversation in which Lucius finds out just who his son has started dating… and he couldn't be any less than thrilled if he tried.

Warnings: Slash

Pairings: Draco Malfoy/Bill Weasley, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Malfoy

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One-Shot #1

Lucius and Draco:

A Conversation

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"Draco, we need to talk."

Draco had been expecting this would happen ever since he'd opted not to be announced with his parents and instead enter the room through the side entrance with his date for the evening. While they were seeing each other—seriously enough to attend the King's wedding reception together—they were not yet ready for the level of public recognition of their relationship that being announced by the court majordomo would bring. Looking at his father, Draco asked, "About?"

"Not here," Lucius answered as he laid a hand on Draco's shoulder and guided him away from the bar and over to one of the secluded alcoves that were setup around the perimeter of the room to give people some private time away from prying eyes. After he made sure the alcove they were in was empty, Lucius pulled his wand from his cane and cast a variety of charms to ensure that the conversation would not be overheard. Satisfied with the spell work he'd put in place, he put his wand back in his cane, turned to Draco and said, "Your mother and I were quite surprised when you said you wanted to forego being announced with us."

"I just didn't feel like it tonight."

"Don't lie to me, Draco. You didn't want to be announced tonight because you have a date."

"You're right, I do."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Of course, I'm right Draco. That was merely a rhetorical statement of fact. What I don't understand, however, is why you didn't ask your date to join us when we were announced."

"We're not ready for that level of public recognition."

"And yet you attended the royal wedding with this girl?"

"Well, actually, it's not a girl."

Lucius looked thrown for a moment, but he recovered quickly, as he said, "It's not a girl?" Draco nodded. "I'd always assumed you were straight."

"Yeah, so did I actually," Draco revealed. "Let's just say that my time with the imposter opened my eyes to a few things."

"So you're gay?"

Shaking his head, Draco said, "No, Father, I still fancy girls, but I also fancy boys. I knew that even before the imposter but I ignored it. But then I met someone and we connected."

"I see," Lucius drawled. "Well then, who is this lucky boy?"

"I think he'd prefer man actually," Draco answered. "Considering that he'll be twenty-five in about a month's time."

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's nearly eleven years older than you?"

"Actually only nine years and six months, if you want to get technical."

"That's still a rather significant age gap, Draco," Lucius said. "What could you possibly have in common with this person?"

"Lots of things. And not to put too fine a point on it, Father, but compared to the age gap between me and the imposter that I was sleeping with once a week for two months, nine years and six months is quite insignificant."

Lucius gave his son a withering look as he said, "Yes, Draco, I'm quite capable of doing the maths and am thus well aware of the fact that nine years and six months pales in comparison to ninety-seven years and eleven months."

Draco cringed. "Okay, let's not talk about the imposter anymore or I may have to dash to the bathroom to throw up."

"You're the one who kept bringing it up, not me."

"Noted."

"So does this date of yours have a name?"

Draco was silent for a moment, before he answered, "Yes, he does."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, "And? What is it?"

Draco's emotion-free mask slipped slightly, as he said, "You're not going to like it."

With a shake of his head, Lucius said, "Draco Lucian Malfoy don't you dare tell me that you're dating some filthy mudblood."

"Careful, Father," Draco warned. "I spent time in Lord Potter's dungeons for that kind of talk."

"Yes, well Lord Potter isn't around is he?" Lucius asked with a sneer. "And the privacy charms I cast won't allow anything I say to be overheard, so just answer the question, Draco, before I lose my temper."

"No, I'm not dating a muggleborn," Draco answered, deciding not to use the word 'mudblood' even though he knew that's what his father would have said, at least in private when nobody was around to overhear it. He was, however, making a concentrated effort to remove the word from his vocabulary, so that meant not uttering it even to his own father if he could avoid it. Of course, he did have a certain image in Slytherin House that was necessary if he wanted to remain in good standing with the majority of the house and he knew that would sometimes require him to use the word whether he wanted to or not.

"Oh thank Morgana!" Lucius exclaimed. He normally might have said Merlin, but after meeting the man in the flesh in the Tribunal Chambers, he felt odd saying it. "So they're a proper pureblood then?"

"Well…" Draco hesitated. "They are a pureblood—they're even one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight—although their family has been quite vocal about not liking being included on that list."

"So what you're telling me, Draco, is that you're dating a blood traitor," Lucius said with an obvious edge to his tone which clearly showed his disapproval. "Their name. Now."

Draco sighed. "William," and after a moment of briefly considering trying to get away with saying only their first name he realized his father would not let that stand as when he asked for their name, he wasn't actually asking for their given name, but their family name. "Weasley. William Weasley."

"Weasley?" Lucius repeated. "I'm sorry, I must not have heard you correctly Draco because I thought you just told me that you were dating a member of the dirt poor, lazy, good-for-nothing, red-haired, freckled, blood traitorous Weasley family."

His father's tone had gotten every more hard and angry with each word, prompting Draco to shrink back from his father a bit, as he said, "You didn't mishear me, Father. I am dating William Weasley."

Lucius closed his eyes and Draco could see his lips moving, but no words coming out, which led Draco to believe that he was praying for patience. After a moment, he asked, "William? Which one is that?"

"Arthur and Molly's eldest son," Draco answered. "He's a curse-breaker for Gringotts'. As a matter of fact, he heads their best team of curse-breakers—the one that's been clearing Hogwarts of curses in fact—and he was one of the other suitors chosen by, well, you know who."

Vaguely remembering the wizard who'd seemingly been in charge of the curse-breakers brought in to check Hogwarts, Lucius couldn't really picture him, as he hadn't been paying too much attention at the time. Thinking back to the World Cup and the dinner with the fake King Edward, however, Lucius recalled the suitors and asked, "The one with the long hair and the fang earring?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, that's him."

Lucius remained silent for a moment, before he said, "Dump him."

Draco's eyes widened as he said, "Father, no, I really, really like him. And he's helped me deal with the aftermath of the imposter because he knows what I'm going through since he went through the same thing."

"So does Marcus Flint," Lucius said.

"Father, he's straight," Draco pointed out. "Not to mention the fact that he's got the intellectual range of a dishpan."

"Whatever, Draco," Lucius said. "Dump him."

"Why?"

"Because he's not good enough for you, Draco," Lucius said in a tone that suggested that the reason should be obvious. "You're a Malfoy and he's a… well… a Weasley." Hearing the name come from his father's mouth, Draco couldn't help but cringe because it sounded as if Lucius was saying the name as if was the name of some undesirable disease.

"He's more than good enough for me, Father," Draco said as he gazed out into the ballroom of Castle Camelot and couldn't help but grin when he caught sight of his boyfriend… chatting with a very important person. "And if you'll turn around and look, you'll see that he keeps very interesting company."

Not sure what his son expected him to see, Lucius turned around and he scanned the ballroom to find the red-haired curse-breaker. When he did, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw just who the red-head was talking to in a manner which suggested that they were old friends.

It was a moment later that a shocked Lucius asked, "Is that?"

"Pharaoh Seti Ptolemy? Father of our new King-Emperor-Consort? Yes, Father."

"How?"

Draco grinned as he recalled a story that William had told him. "He's met Pharaoh Seti before, Father, back in Egypt. As a curse-breaker for Gringotts' he often works in the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and one day a few years ago now, William drank a vial of Felix Felicis and that day led his team to the discovery of a previously forgotten tomb with gold and other treasures worth several million galleons. It was the largest find ever and as the curse-breaker leading the team that found it, William was brought before Pharaoh Seti, who awarded him with the Order of Thoth—which is named after the Egyptian God of Magic and is essentially Egypt's equivalent of the Royal Star of Camelot."

Lucius was silent for several moments, before he said, "So he's a Knight of Egypt?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. He was apparently the first non-native Egyptian to be awarded the honor. His full title is Sir William Weasley, Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Thoth. Other than the title reserved for the Pharaoh as Head of the Order, Grand Cordon is the highest possible level of the order—limited to just thirty members—and is usually reserved for members of the imperial family, but Pharaoh Seti was extremely pleased with him for the find and wanted to show his appreciation in the highest way he possibly could. Knight Grand Cordon comes with a monthly stipend of 5,000 Galleons and he was also awarded with a finder's fee of 100,000 Galleons for the find itself."

Lucius looked dumbfounded as he said, "So you're telling me that he's got at least 100,000 galleons in the bank and makes an additional 60,000 galleons a year from his title, on top of whatever Gringotts' pays him—and considering the danger involved I assume it's quite substantial—and yet his family is still dirt poor?"

"His parents are very proud people," Draco answered. "Since William no longer lives at home with them, they flat out refuse to take any of his money, thinking it should go towards his own household instead of theirs. He's offered several times to help them out, but they turn him down each and every time."

Draco couldn't help but feel pride in his boyfriend, because while it was true that a few months ago he would have thought that William was beneath him in every conceivable way, spending time in Seacliff's dungeons made him rethink a lot of things. Enough so that he managed to forge a friendship with William, brought together by their both being suitors to the fake king and then spending time together at Hogwarts—secretly, of course. Then the night they found out about Gellert, they turned to each other for support and one thing led to another and before they knew it they were in bed together.

The next morning, waking up in each other's arms, they talked and everything came out, which is when they decided to make a go of being a couple. They were still in the early stages of a relationship—only having been together for a couple of days—but Draco was very hopeful about his future with the red-head.

He was aware that some people would call his relationship with William a rebound relationship for the both of them, but Draco didn't see it that way as they'd already forged a friendship before things turned sexual or romantic. Plus, he knew that neither of them had ever actually fallen in love with the fake Edward. More and more every day Draco couldn't imagine his life without William in it and he was determined to keep him, regardless of what his father said.

"So, no, Father, I will not dump him," Draco said. "La familie est primodial, Father, and while we haven't been together long, I've already begun to think of him as my family. So, don't make me choose."

Lucius sighed, as Lord Malfoy, he could order Draco to dump William, but the moment his son quoted the family motto and said that he thought of his boyfriend as his family, any chance of that flew out the window. Not only would it go against every single thing that Lucius had been raised to believe in regards to family, he also knew that if Narcissa—who doted on Draco like he was the second coming of Merlin—found out that he had ordered Draco to dump someone who he considered family that she was likely to castrate him.

Before Lucius could say anything, Draco smirked and said, "Besides, Father, just think for a moment about William's connections. He's one of only thirty Knight Grand Cordons of Egypt which means that only one other person holds a higher rank in the Order of Thoth than he does and that's of course Pharaoh Seti himself as the Knight Imperial Cordon and obviously that's a position that only the Pharaoh of Egypt himself can hold. But as a Knight Grand Cordon, William has ties to some of the richest and most powerful people in Egypt and that kind of influence could bring some very interesting business prospects our way."

Draco wasn't with William for the reason he'd just given his father, because he honestly couldn't care less about the business aspect, but he understood what might get his father to come around to his way of thinking and he saw nothing wrong with exploiting that if it got him what he wanted. Looking at his father's face, Draco could see the moment that his father realized the truth of what his son had just said and he hid his grin at knowing that he'd just played his father like a fiddle—not that he'd every say any such thing aloud.

"Fine, fine, Draco, you can date William," Lucius said. After a moment he said, "I suppose your mother and I will just have to redouble our efforts to give you a little brother so that there's someone to take your place as the heir since there'll be a serious lack of heirs if you marry William and decide to remain faithful to him."

"As I've recently found out, Father," Draco said, "there are means that are widely used outside of Albion in some of the more progressive parts of the continent and beyond that will allow same-sex couples to have children, so there's actually no reason why William and I couldn't have children together at some point, but I don't plan on having children anytime soon. At least not until after I finish Hogwarts."

"There's ways for you and William to… get pregnant?"

Draco shook his head. "No, as far as I know that isn't an option but there is a procedure involving Transfiguration which would allow either my sperm or William's to be transfigured into an egg, fertilized with the others' sperm and then implanted into a woman who's willing to carry the child to term for us. Apparently it's called surrogacy and was adapted from a muggle technique called in-vitro fertilization, but some healers took it to a level that the muggles can't by introducing magic to the mix, so we improved it."

"You're telling me that magical healers actually learned something from muggles?" Lucius asked, clearly shocked.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, apparently, but at least we were able to improve on their work and take it further than they can. Besides it wouldn't be the first time that we've borrowed something from the muggles and improved it." At Lucius's raised eyebrow, Draco added, "Well, the Hogwarts Express is based on a muggle invention, although we've used quite a bit of magic to improve it. Such as the fact that the water that produces the steam is heated by magical flames that never die out. According to William, when the muggles still used steam engines—and apparently they don't anymore, having moved on to something else—they had to shovel coal or throw wood into a furnace to keep the flames going. With magic that's not necessary and thus it's more efficient."

"I need to lie down," Lucius said, as he made his way over to the nearby settee and laid down. He wasn't at all worried about anyone seeing him do it because while the alcoves were more often used for private conversations or sneaking off to make out with a partner, their intended purpose was actually to give guests a place to rest for a little while between dances. Lucius wasn't particularly tired, but he did feel just a little faint after hearing what Draco had just told him and thought it best to lie down before he fell down.

Draco could understand his father's reaction as he'd had a similar one when he first found out about all of this from William, but he'd had time to digest it now. Looking back out into the ballroom, Draco smiled as he noticed William had finished speaking with Seti, had noticed him, and was headed his way. A moment later, William passed through the Silencing Charm into the alcove and smiled at Draco.

"Hey Drake," William said, as he wrapped his arms around the younger boy.

"Hey yourself," Draco said as he put his hands on William's shoulders and pulled himself up onto his tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on the redhead's lips.

For his part, William didn't complain, at least until he spotted Lucius lying on the nearby settee, one of his hands resting over his eyes. Gesturing with his head in the elder Malfoy's direction, William asked, "You do realize your Dad is right over there right?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. He pulled me aside and I had to tell him about you."

"And how did that go?"

Before Draco could answer, a new voice asked, "So I assume you're the reason for my son's perpetual smile these last few days?"

Turning towards the entrance to the alcove, Draco and William spied Narcissa Malfoy standing there looking at the two of them.

"Yes Mum," Draco said.

Coming over to the two of them, she asked, "Well, Draco, are you going to introduce me?"

Draco looked momentarily abashed, before he said, "Mum, this is Sir William Weasley, Knight Grand Cordon of the Egyptian Order of Thoth, a Senior Curse-Breaker for Gringotts', and my boyfriend. William, this is my Mum, Lady Narcissa Malfoy, the Countess of Coleford."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," William said.

"It's good to meet you too, William," Narcissa said. "Anyone who makes Draco happy is fine in my book." Grabbing William's chin in her hand and looking him dead in the eyes, however, she then added, "But I will warn you only once, William. Hurt my son and by the time I'm finished with you, you'll wish that you had never been born. Understood?"

Draco groaned, "Mum," at the same time that William, his chin still in Narcissa's firm grip, did his best to nod as he said, "Yes, ma'am."

"There's a good boy," Narcissa said as she let go of William's chin and patted him on the cheek. Looking him up and down, she then looked at Draco and added, "He's definitely very easy on the eyes, Draco, so I'd say he's a keeper."

William blushed as Draco grinned and said, "Yes, I'm definitely keeping him."

Noticing Lucius, Narcissa asked, "What's wrong with your father?"

Taking a moment to explain the gist of the conversation he'd had with his father to both William and his mother, Draco then explained about how he'd told Lucius about the surrogacy thing and muggle steam engines. William was grinning at this, while Narcissa just nodded and said, "Yes, I can see how that could get under Lucius's skin—he was nowhere near as well travelled as I was before we got married. I went on the customary Grand Tour after Hogwarts, however, so I already knew most of that. Lucius skipped his though, as that was right around the time that your grandfather Abraxas contracted dragon pox, which ultimately killed him. So, as the new Lord Malfoy, Lucius didn't have time to go on his Grand Tour."

Walking over to the settee, Narcissa pulled her husband's hand from his eyes and glared at him, as she said, "And you're very lucky that Draco got through to you, husband dear. Honestly, nearly ordering him to dump someone that makes him happy?" Confident that her own frame would hide her actions from anyone who looked into the alcove, she reached down and grabbed Lucius's crotch and squeezed, "It would have been very bad for your member if you hadn't seen reason."

"Mum! Not in front of your kid!" Draco exclaimed as he buried his face in William's chest so that he couldn't see his mother grabbing his father's privates. Even fully clothed that just wasn't something he needed to see.

For his part, Lucius knew better than to point out the fact that castrating him would land Narcissa in Azkaban for the rest of her life, as removing a noble lord's ability to sire children was considered to be a very grave offense. Instead he simply nodded his head and said, "Yes, dear." When his grandmother had told him before he married Narcissa that the key to a successful marriage was that the wife was always right—even when she wasn't—he hadn't believed it, but in the ensuing years he realized it was very true.

Letting go of Lucius, Narcissa said, "Anyway, stand up, Lucius. Let's give the boys some private time—we have mingling to do."

Lucius smiled as he stood up and asked, "And perhaps a dance or two with my lovely wife?"

"Maybe, if you play your cards right," Narcissa said as she looped her arm through Lucius's and led him out of the alcove.

When they were gone, William leaned down slightly and said, "You can look now, they're gone."

"Thank Merlin," Draco said, as he moved his head away from his boyfriend's chest and looked around the room for a moment, before pulling out his wand and using it to close the curtains at the entrance to the alcove. William cocked his head but remained silent as Draco said, "I think we can find a much more fun use of that settee, don't you?"

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"If you think I'm suggesting we have sex, no," Draco said. "A settee in an alcove of Castle Camelot's ballroom during the King's wedding reception wouldn't be the appropriate place for that." With a mischievous grin, he added, "But a little make-out session never hurt anyone."

"I do like the way you think, Drake," William said, as the two of them moved over to the settee, as William sat down, before Draco sat on his lap and they began a rather intense make-out session.

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The End.

So there you have the first one-shot of 'Along the Journey'. More will follow with various characters and situations as the mood strikes me. There will likely be several set during Edward's and Ramesses's wedding reception and after it, since there will be one detailing their first time. But that's a story for another day.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to contact me in a review, by email, my Yahoo group, or on Twitter JVascardi.


	3. Arrivals

Unexpected Love: Along the Journey  
Written by J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. I'm not profiting on this story and it is not my intent to infringe on anyone's copyright or trademark. The only things about this story that I own are the characters and storylines not featured in the books.

Summary: During the wedding reception for Edward and Ramesses, Harry and Evan (Cedric in disguise) chat with some of the younger noble set, while they watch the arrivals of the foreign royalty—and even get to chat with some of them.

Pairings: Harry Potter/Cedric Diggory; Charlie Weasley/ Noah Kirke (OMC); Asterion Black (OMC)/Abigail Cuffe (OFC); Regulus Black/Kolin Mikaels (OMC)

Warnings: Original Characters; Slash, Twincest, Incest

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One-Shot #2

Arrivals

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"Presenting The Duke of Granston, His Grace the Lord Harrison Potter, The Honorable Lord High Chancellor to the Court of Pendragon, accompanied by Mr. Evan Lockwood."

As Harry descended the steps near the entrance into Castle Camelot's Grand Ballroom, Harry could hear a few people whispering about Evan, wondering who exactly he was. Of course, he also heard a few people mention that they remembered him as being Cormac McLaggen's plus one at the wedding of Charlie and Noah Kirke, who he'd later pretty publicly dumped at the Founder's Ball. This led to some people speculating that Evan and Harry were now dating.

Unbeknownst to all except a select few, however, was the fact that Evan Lockwood was actually Cedric Diggory wearing Glamour Charms to change his appearance and allow him to spend time with Harry in public without his father knowing about it. This was made possible by the fact that Merlin and Arthur had examined the spell to create doubles and formulated an alternate version which would allow the real person and the double to exist in the same room and even see and talk to one another, without the double feeling the need to merge back into the real person. Thus as far as Amos and Amelia Diggory knew their son Cedric was with them, when in truth it was actually his double.

"Okay, can I just say that it feels strange to look across the room and see myself?" Evan whispered to Harry.

"Yes, I can imagine that would feel weird," Harry agreed. "Although, at least with the Evan persona we can be together in public without your father having a fit that you're going against his wishes that you stay away from me. You'll also be able to talk with Noah and Charlie, which is definitely something you couldn't do as the real you."

"True my dad would tan my hide if he caught me talking with Noah."

"Hey Evan," Noah said as he and Charlie walked up behind Evan. Harry had seen them coming, but Evan hadn't, since he had his back turned to them. Evan jumped slightly at the sound of his name, as Noah leaned over and whispered in his ear, "And you're right, Dad would tan your hide if he saw you talking to me."

"Noah, don't sneak up on me!" Evan chastised, as Noah just grinned. "I thought I'd seen you and Charlie at the wedding—although I have to ask—just how did you two score an invitation to the royal wedding and reception?"

It was Charlie who answered. "Noah's uncle invited us," obviously being careful to say 'Noah's uncle' rather than 'Your uncle' so that nobody who might overhear the conversation would put two and two together and realize who Evan was. "Even insisted that we enter with him and be presented with him, his wife, and son."

Harry grinned hugely, wishing that he'd been there to see it, as he said, "Oh I bet that has Amos fuming."

"And probably foaming at the mouth," Noah quipped, as Evan laughed, but nodded at the same time.

"Of course, several of my family members are here tonight," Charlie revealed. "As one of the King's former suitors, Bill is here. So are my parents, since my Dad's job at the Ministry qualified him to attend as a Ministry official. Percy's here too, although as Lord Crouch's assistant. The others aren't, however, so you don't have to worry about Fred and George spiking the punch or slipping Canary Creams onto the desert table. Of course, I don't think even they would be that stupid, as Mum would probably kill them—assuming that Dad didn't kill them first."

Harry nodded and inwardly cringed at the mere thought of one of the foreign royals eating a Canary Cream and getting turned into a giant canary. Yes, it was temporary, but if it happened it wouldn't really matter because the damage would already be done. Speaking up, Harry said, "Indeed and then Edward would likely find a way to resurrect them so that he could do it again—because I highly doubt he'd be amused by the international incident that would no doubt occur if any of the foreign royals got turned into canaries."

"So you're on a first name basis with the King, are you?" Noah asked.

"Well, I am his Lord Chancellor and we've gotten pretty close the last few weeks."

"Really?" Charlie asked, as he started grinning. "Does that mean we can expect an invitation soon to another wedding?"

Realizing what Charlie was suggesting, Harry shook his head and said, "If you mean an invitation to Edward's and my wedding then you'll be waiting a very long time because we're not getting married. I meant that we've become good friends, as in totally platonic."

Charlie was just about to say that he was only kidding, when a grinning Evan said, "Although Harry did confess to me that he wouldn't mind sleeping with him at least once." Harry's eyes widened at that and he was about to hit Evan in the arm for revealing it, when he said, "Of course, I wouldn't mind it either." Looking at Harry, who was soon blushing, Evan added, "Maybe we could make it a threesome."

Wanting to get back at Evan, Harry said, "Or maybe a foursome if we can get RJ to join in."

"RJ?" Noah asked uncertainly.

"Ramesses," Evan answered. "One of his nicknames to his family and friends. Also goes by Ram."

Shaking his head, Noah said, "Okay, can I just say that I'm very impressed that you're on a first name and nickname basis with the King and his new husband?"

"Yeah it is rather impressive, isn't it?" Evan asked, as Noah nodded, but any further comment was cut off as the court majordomo's staff hit the floor three times in preparation of announcing a new arrival.

"Presenting His Royal Highness Prince Vlad III Draculesti of Romania, the Voivode of Wallachia, and Her Royal Highness Princess Ilona Draculesti of Romania, the Princess-Consort of Wallachia. Accompanied by their son, His Royal Highness Prince Vladimir Draculesti of Romania, the Crown Prince of Wallachia, and their daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Oksana Draculesti of Romania, the Princess Royal of Wallachia."

There were several soft gasps throughout the room at this announcement as people turned towards the entrance to see the four Wallachian royals standing there. They were all very well dressed and one might even say handsome and beautiful, if extremely pale due to the fact that all four of them were vampires and probably older than everyone else in the room by at least a century or two.

"Draculesti? I thought their name was Dracula?" Harry asked.

"They actually use both," Charlie said, who was more familiar with Wallachia's royals since it was one of the three principalities of Romania, where he used to live and work before transferring to the Coulderton Reserve. "I heard a rumor in Romania that they started using Draculesti more often since Bram Stoker published his novel, although I doubt there's much truth to it, considering that Prince Vlad visited the reserve once while I was still working there and I heard him refer to himself as Count Dracula. It seems they use Draculesti for more formal occasions, however, and then switch between Dracula and Dracul for the less formal events."

As the Wallachian royals moved down into the ballroom proper, the court majordomo struck his staff on the floor again, as he said, "Presenting His Royal Highness Prince Nikolai XVI Bathory of Romania, the Voivode of Transylvania, and Her Royal Highness Princess Elena Bathory of Romania, the Princess-Consort of Transylvania."

"They're not vampires, right?" Harry asked softly.

Evan shook his head, "No, they're not."

Noah nodded and said, "Indeed. Despite the stories that connect Transylvania to vampirism, including the so called Bran Castle, also sometimes called Castle Dracula, there's no connection there. The Bathorys own Bran Castle and use it as their summer home, I believe. They primarily live at Corvin Castle, also sometimes called Hunyadi Castle. The Wallachian royals meanwhile call Poenari Castle home. In the muggle world it's a falling down ruin, but in the magical world it's still standing in all its former glory, as Prince Vlad has kept it in pristine condition."

"Interesting," Harry said, as he watched Nikolai and Elena move down into the ballroom proper. They were an attractive couple, and despite the fact that Nikolai was probably in his early forties, Harry had to admit that he was definitely not hard on the eyes. Of course, neither were Vlad or his son in truth. They were quite pale in complexion, but that did nothing to change their good looks. Harry had to admit that he was a little surprised about that, as for some reason he'd expected the Wallachian royals to be scary looking when the truth was they were anything but.

The majordomo struck his staff on the floor again, as he said, "Presenting His Royal Majesty King Stefan XVII Bogdan of Romania, the King of Romania and Voivode of Moldavia, and Her Royal Majesty Queen Stefania Bogdan of Romania, the Queen of Romania and Princess-Consort of Moldavia. Accompanied by their son, His Royal Highness Prince Alexandru Bogdan of Romania, the Crown Prince of Moldavia, and their daughter-in-law, Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Bogdan of Romania, the Crown Princess of Moldavia."

"Prince Alexandru is quite hot, isn't he?" Evan commented with a grin.

Noah nodded. "Yes, he is, although honestly his father isn't so bad either."

"True, although he's a little too old for my tastes," Evan said, as Stefan and his family moved down into the ballroom proper. Prince Alexandru and his wife started chatting with Prince Vladimir and Princess Oksana, with Vladimir soon laughing at something that Alexandru said. Harry wasn't close enough to hear what exactly had been said, but he was close enough that he could see Vladimir's elongated canine teeth, proving that he was definitely a vampire.

Queen Stefania and Princesses Ilona and Elena soon headed over to the bar, chatting on their way, as King Stefan and Prince Nikolai began talking to each other. Vlad, meanwhile, looked around the room for a moment, clearly looking for someone interesting to talk to. After a moment, his eyes settled on Charlie and he began heading towards the group.

"Don't look now, but Prince Vlad is coming this way," Evan whispered to Harry, who nodded as he noticed the vampire approaching, although Harry also noticed that Evan and him didn't seem to be the ones he was interested in.

A few moments later, Vlad came to a stop and asked, "Excuse me, but aren't you Charlie Weasley and Noah Kirke from the Romanian dragon reserve?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, although it's Charlie Kirke now, as Noah and I were married in late August."

"Oh, well, congratulations are in order then," Vlad said. "You make a very handsome couple." After a moment's pause he added, "I assume though that the wedding did not happen in Romania seeing as how such unions are currently illegal. Nikolai and I have tried to get Stefan to legalize them, but he always seems to find something else to concentrate on so that he can avoid the issue."

"Yes, Your Highness, it was here in Albion," Noah answered. "We're both from here originally and our families are here, so when Lord Ollivander legalized same-sex unions on his lands we decided that it was time to take the plunge."

"Well, I wish you both many long years of happiness," Vlad said with a smile, which prominently displayed his teeth. He and his son were apparently not shy about showing off the fact that they were vampires, as from what Harry had read, he knew that vampires could—if they chose to—retract their fangs in order to blend in more with regular people. Vlad and his son, however, obviously chose not to do that for whatever reason. "So, what brings you to the royal wedding?"

"Noah and I went to school with Lord Ollivander's grandson," Charlie revealed. "He was a few years ahead of us, but we were still friends." Looking at Noah for a moment, he then added, "And Noah's family is nobility."

"Really?" Vlad asked. "I'm not aware of any family named Kirke who hold noble titles in Albion or Iwernia, although I admit I'm not that well versed on your nobility."

"Well, you're right that there isn't a noble Kirke family," Noah said. "Kirke is the surname I chose to use after I was disowned as my family's heir apparent three years ago after introducing Charlie to my parents as my boyfriend. I'm sure he'd prefer I didn't refer to him as my father since my being married to a man is such a disappointment to him, but my father is Lord Diggory, the Marquis of Taleford and my mother is the sister of Lord McLaggen, the Marquis of Levenmore, who insisted we attend as his guests."

Vlad shook his head, a look of disgust on his face, as he said, "Disowning a child over something like that is an abomination. I've unfortunately had to bury enough of my own children in my life to know that they're a precious gift and should be loved unconditionally." After a moment, he asked, "So I take it then you were a courtesy Earl before you were disowned?"

Noah nodded. "Yes, Earl of Charwell. The title passed to my younger brother Cedric when my father disowned me."

Vlad nodded, but remained silent, as he noticed Evan and Harry standing nearby watching the conversation. Having noticed them talking to Noah and Charlie as he approached, he asked, "Who are your friends?"

Motioning towards Evan, Charlie said, "This is Evan Lockwood," and then with a grin as he motioned towards Harry, he said, "And His Grace the Duke of Granston, Lord High Chancellor to the Court of Pendragon, Harrison Potter."

Vlad looked momentarily abashed, before he said, "Oh, of course, I should have recognized you, Lord Potter. You gave away King Edward at the wedding didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I did, Your Highness."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," Vlad said as he shook hands with Harry. He wasn't sure why, but Harry had almost expected Vlad's hand to be ice cold, but it wasn't. Vlad must have seen something on his face, as he added, "Normal body temperature is the same for vampires as it is for humans. The pale skin throws people off, however, not to mention the fact that we're often referred to as the 'living dead' in most textbooks, even though we're not actually dead."

Noah nodded. "Yes, you would think that the existence of half-vampires like famed singer Lorcan d'Eath would tell people that vampires aren't dead, as that means Lorcan would have been born dead or half-dead at least. Anyone who's ever seen him live in concert, however, will tell you there's definitely nothing dead about him. Of course, I suppose his surname doesn't really help the cause."

"Indeed, I suppose it doesn't," Vlad agreed. "My son and daughter are full vampires, since both their mother and I are vampires and they were born as such."

"If you don't mind my asking, how old are they?" Evan asked.

"I don't mind," Vlad answered. "Vladimir is 530 and Oksana is 525." With a conspiratorial grin he added, "Although you didn't hear that from me as I'm sure Oksana would probably kill me if she knew I'd revealed her age."

As the court majordomo struck his staff on the floor again, Vlad said his goodbyes and moved further into the ballroom, as more royals were introduced. "Presenting His Royal Majesty King Markus XV Eriksson of Sweden, the High King of Sweden, and his brother His Royal Majesty King Mateus VII Eriksson of Sweden, the King of Sweden. Accompanied by their husbands, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Kristopher and Prince Kristian Eriksson of Sweden, the Princes-Consort of Sweden."

Evan's eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the newest royals, as he'd never actually seen pictures of them or read anything about them. "Sweden has two Kings? And they're both gay?"

"Indeed they are," Asterion Black said with a grin, as he approached the group with his date, Abigail Cuffe. "In case you hadn't noticed, Markus and Mateus are conjoined."

"Yeah, Rion, that's rather hard to miss," Harry said, as he looked at the Swedish Kings and saw that they were joined side by side with only two arms and three legs between them. Tilting his head to one side as he looked at them, he asked, "Am I wrong or do they technically have two left feet?"

"You're not wrong," Asterion confirmed. "My father and I met them once during our travels, although their father was still on the throne then and they hadn't gotten married. They were technically dating Kristopher and Kristian, but at that time they weren't exclusive yet. And I can tell you that despite the usual connotation of two left feet equaling bad dancing skills, Markus and Mateus are not bad dancers. They're quite good in fact."

"And how do you know that?" Abigail asked.

Asterion blushed slightly, as he said, "Well, my father and I sort of danced with them at a ball once."

Harry grinned as he asked, "And that's cause for blushing because?"

"Are you really going to make me say it?" Asterion asked and Harry nodded, causing the youngest Black to groan, before he quietly erected a Silencing Charm around the group, as he didn't need anyone nearby overhearing this information. "Well, you know that I've experimented with men. Mateus was the one who actually took my virginity," his blush deepening, he added, "while Markus and my father were similarly engaged, although obviously I was the only virgin in the group."

"You lost your virginity to a man with a conjoined twin who was having sex with your father while you were losing it?" Charlie asked, which only made Asterion blush more as he nodded. "Man, you and your father are very close aren't you?"

"Closer than you could possibly imagine," Abigail said with a grin of her own, as Asterion's eyes widened and he said, "Abby, don't you dare. It's bad enough you told Luke, who then went ahead and told Jon."

"You know why I told Luke and why he told Jon," Abigail said. "I thought you understood."

"I know and I do understand," Asterion said. "That doesn't mean that I have to like the fact that they know or that I want you telling anyone else."

"Know what?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, come on," Harry said with a grin. "You can't pique our curiosity like that and then not say anything. Besides you put up a Silencing Charm."

"Yes she can," Asterion said as he turned pleading eyes to his girlfriend. "Abby, please don't."

"I'm sorry, Lord Potter, but my boyfriend apparently doesn't want that information getting out," Abigail said. "And I'd rather like to stay in his good graces."

Harry sighed. "Understandable." Turning to Asterion, he grinned and said, "But you know I'm going to find out eventually right? I'm the son of a Marauder after all, so I'll find a way."

Shaking his head, Asterion said, "And I'm a Marauder's nephew, so that doesn't really worry me, Harry." With a shake of his head, he said, "Anyway, allow me to introduce my girlfriend, Abigail Cuffe."

Taking her hand, Harry shook it gently and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Abigail, under much better circumstances than the last time I saw you."

"Indeed, Lord Potter," Abigail said. "Although I do thank you for what you did, as does my entire family."

"You're welcome, although I don't need thanks," Harry said. "I'm just glad that I was able to help."

Anything further that might have been said was interrupted as the court majordomo struck his staff on the ground again, as two more groups of people were announced.

"Presenting His Royal Majesty King Henrik XVIII Haraldsson of Norway, the King of Norway, and his wife, Her Royal Majesty Queen Astrid Haraldsson of Norway, the Queen of Norway."

This was followed a few moments later by, "Presenting His Royal Majesty King Olaf XXV Magnusson if Finland, the King of Finland, and his wife, Her Royal Majesty Queen Kristina Magnusson of Finland, the Queen of Finland."

Looking over at the newest royals to enter the room, Harry cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Is Queen Kristina related to Kristopher and Kristian Eriksson?"

"Yes, she is," Kolin said, as he and Regulus joined the group. "Kristopher, Kristian, and Kristina are triplets, although obviously Kristina is sort of the odd one out since she's a girl and her brothers are identical twins."

Grinning at Kolin and his father, Asterion said, "Speaking of twins, I see you two decided to dress like twins tonight. Finally decided to give up the protesting and admit that you're a couple?"

"Yes, Rion," Regulus said as he playfully punched his son in the arm. "Although I'm clearly not the only one with a date this evening. Are you going to introduce me?"

"Dad, this is my girlfriend, Abigail Cuffe," Asterion said. "Abby, this is my father, Regulus Black, and his boyfriend, Kolin Mikaels."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Abigail said as she shook hands with Regulus, followed by Kolin.

"The pleasure is mine, Abigail, but please don't call me sir," Regulus said, as he cringed a bit. "It makes me feel old. As if the fact that my son is old enough to have a girlfriend didn't do that already."

"And definitely don't call me sir," Kolin added with a grin. "Because we're the same age, so that'd just be weird."

"Presenting His Imperial and Royal Majesty Philip XVII Habsburg of Spain, the King-Emperor of the Iberian Empire of Spain-Portugal, and his wife, Her Imperial and Royal Majesty Isabella Habsburg of Spain, the Queen-Empress of the Iberian Empire of Spain-Portugal. Accompanied by His Most Holy Majesty Charles XXXIV Habsburg of Austria, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of the Romans, and his wife Her Imperial Majesty Victoria Habsburg of Austria, the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Queen of the Romans."

"I assume they're related?" Harry asked, since he noticed that they were all introduced as being Habsburgs.

Regulus nodded. "Yes, Emperor Charles is King Philip's uncle." As the Habsburg royals left the dais, Regulus saw the next group of foreign royals entering and said, "Oh I'm sure the next group isn't happy about Charles using the King of the Romans title."

Harry looked at the dais and saw two men and a woman standing there, although he honestly wasn't sure who they were. One of the men seemed to be having a whispered conversation with the court majordomo, who finally nodded and struck his staff against the floor.

"Presenting His Most Holy and Imperial Majesty Justinian XI Caesar of Byzantium, the Basileus of the Byzantine Empire, Pontifex Maximus of Rome, and Emperor of the Romans, accompanied by his wife, Her Imperial Majesty Theodora Caesar of Byzantium, the Basilissa of the Byzantine Empire and Empress of the Romans, and his husband, His Imperial Majesty Theron Caesar of Byzantium, the Kaisar of the Byzantine Empire, Exarchos of New Byzantium and the True King of the Romans."

"Charles certainly didn't look happy with that last part," Evan commented, as he caught sight of Emperor Charles who was currently scowling at the three people on the dais.

Asterion nodded. "Yes, I imagine he isn't, although there's not much he can do about it because the Byzantine Empire's claims on the Roman titles date back to the days of the Roman Empire, since Byzantium was also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, following the administrative split of the Roman Empire into the Western and Eastern Roman Empires."

"Byzantium has always been at odds with the Holy Roman Empire," Noah revealed. "As Byzantium feels that the HRE is usurping their rightful titles, while the HRE feels the same about Byzantium. I don't think it's a feud that will ever end honestly."

"Justinian is Ramesses's uncle, right?" Kolin asked.

"Yes, he is," Harry answered, as he cocked his head to the side and said, "This is the first time I've ever seen Justinian, but there is a resemblance between him and Ramesses, although I suppose that makes sense since Ramesses's mother is Justinian's twin sister."

Nothing else was said because at that moment, a voice said, "Regulus, Asterion, fancy meeting you here."

Asterion's skin flushed slightly red, as he turned around and said, "Your Majesties," to Markus and Mateus Eriksson.

Mateus laughed good-naturedly as he put his hand on Asterion's shoulder and said, "I know there's a Silencing Charm up, Rion, and we're lovers, even if it was only the one time, so no need to be so formal."

Markus grinned. "Yes, formality is only appropriate between people who haven't seen each other naked."

"Taking a bit of a risk there, aren't you?" Regulus asked. "You had no idea whether or not Asterion had actually told the rest of this group about our encounter with the two of you."

"Did you tell them, Rion?" Mateus asked.

"Yes," Asterion said with a blush. "That's the reason I put up the Silencing Charm in the first place."

"There, you see, Reg? No problem," Mateus said. "So, are you going to introduce us to your friends?"

After the introductions were made, Mateus frowned slightly and said, "While your girlfriend is very pretty, Rion, I've gotta say that I'm a little sad that you've gone to the dark side."

"Dark side?" Kolin asked.

Markus grinned as he reached up and hit himself on the head, greatly confusing several of the others. "Mateus thinks any man dating a woman means they've gone to the dark side, as he believes that men should only be with other men." There were several nods at this, before Markus added, "And as for hitting myself, Mat's and my nervous systems are so intertwined that we can feel everything that the other feels, so it's easier just to hit myself than it is to reach over and hit Mat, since he and I would both feel it no matter where the contact actually happened."

"Having only the one arm each would also make it awkward for us to hit each other," Mateus added, "as it would mean reaching across ourselves in order to reach the other. So we take the easy route."

"I imagine there's a lot of things that are awkward to do when you have only one arm," Harry said.

"Not as much as you might think, Lord Potter," Markus said. "Well, I suppose to a person who is used to having two arms and then loses one, everything would be awkward. Mateus and I don't have that problem, however, since we've never both had two arms. It does mean cooperating with each other way more than most brothers, but after thirty-two years together we're used to it."

"I've seen a few sets of conjoined twins before now," Charlie said, "but you two are definitely the most extreme case I've seen so far."

Mateus nodded. "Yes, having two torsos fused side by side does make us closer than most, although I wouldn't call Mark's and my connection extreme."

"Yes, if you want extreme, just wait until Pharaoh Seti and his family are announced," Markus said. "Some of his children are here and he's got a pair of twin sons who are joined in a much more extreme and awkward fashion than Mat and I are."

Mateus nodded and said, "Yes it can be argued that Princes Djedkare and Nerikare are definitely a lot closer than Mark and I. They're cute though and I know for a fact that they're gay, since we met them once on a state visit to Thebes before our father died." Mateus grinned broadly as he added, "And got as close to them as any of Pharaoh Seti's unmarried children can get to anyone."

"What do you mean?" Abigail asked.

It was Harry who answered. "Well, Abby, all of Seti's unmarried children, both male and female, are fitted with chastity belts when they're ten and they don't come off until they're married. Some of Seti's sons, regardless of their gender preference, have been known to provide favors of the oral variety to interested guests at the Imperial Palace, as it's the only form of sex that they can engage in since the belt doesn't cover their mouths."

Markus grinned and since there was a Silencing Charm up, he added, "Indeed and I can tell you from experience that Jedrik have very talented mouths."

"Jedrik?" Evan asked, clearly confused.

"Djedkare's and Nerikare's nickname," Mateus answered. "It started out as Jed and Rik, but after a while it got combined into a single name since they're always together anyway."

"Presenting His Imperial Highness Hiroshi X Yamata of Japan, the Emperor of Japan, and Her Imperial Highness Ayako Yamata of Japan, the Empress of Japan. Accompanied by their son, His Imperial Highness Toshiro Yamata of Japan, the Crown Prince of Japan, and their daughter-in-law, Her Imperial Highness Yoshiko Yamata of Japan, the Crown Princess of Japan."

Glancing over at the arriving royals, Noah said, "Well I think they may be the oldest royals we've seen so far."

"Very possibly," Markus said. "Of course Emperor Hiroshi is 80 and Prince Toshiro is 60."

"Well the oldest if you don't count Prince Vlad and his family," Charlie said. "Although they don't look old, so it's easier to overlook the fact that they're several centuries old."

Mateus nodded. "Indeed I still remember the first time I met Prince Vlad. I couldn't believe that he was 563 years old as he didn't then and doesn't now look anywhere near that age."

"Yes, but 563 is his current age," Markus clarified. "He was 554 when we met him for the first time. Still, he's clearly been around a while and even by magical standards that age can be a bit disturbing."

Regulus nodded. "Indeed, it's definitely disturbing, although Vlad's reputation could be argued to be even more disturbing."

"Reputation? Because he's a vampire?" Abigail asked.

"Well, there's that," Regulus answered. "And that probably doesn't help his reputation, but this is Prince Vlad III we're talking about." At Abigail's confused look, he added, "Have you ever heard the name Vlad the Impaler?"

Abigail nodded, before she asked, "Wait are you saying?"

"Yes, that's him," Regulus confirmed.

"Okay it sounds ominous," Kolin said, "but why is he called that?"

"Well, supposedly back in the 15th century, before becoming a vampire," Regulus explained, "he was known to prefer impalement as a means of execution. In other words placing a person on a sharpened shaft of wood, with the sharp end going into their anus. Gravity and the weight of their body would then pull them down the shaft, impaling them." Several people cringed at this description, as Regulus added, "There's even a story that says that Sultan Mehmed II had to return to Constantinople after he was sickened by the sight of 20,000 impaled corpses outside of Wallachia's capital of Târgoviște."

"Wait, Constantinople?" Harry asked. "Isn't that the capital of Byzantium?"

Asterion nodded. "Yes, it is, although the Ottoman Empire occupied it for about ten years starting in 1453 and Mehmed II even considered it to be the capital of his empire after it was taken. However, here in the magical world, Byzantium resurged much like a phoenix rising from the ashes and retook not only Constantinople but the entirety of the Ottoman Empire, totally destroying it by 1487, at which point Byzantium set about retaking much of the old Western Roman Empire as well, which is why Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily are all under Byzantine rule now."

"Speaking of Byzantium," Mateus said, "that was quite the display earlier when they were introduced."

"Indeed, Emperor Charles didn't look happy," Harry agreed.

Markus nodded. "Well, I suppose I can't blame him as I wouldn't be happy either if someone implied that I didn't have any right to my title."

"Who implied that?" Evan asked, looking confused.

"Justinian when he told the majordomo to introduce him as Pontifex Maximus of Rome," Regulus said. There were a few confused looks at this, so he elaborated, "Pontifex Maximus is a title that was long associated with the Roman Emperors and was the title of the head of the church. In the muggle world, Pontifex Maximus is often used to refer to the Roman Catholic Pope and it was a Pope—Leo III to be precise—who actually created the first Holy Roman Emperor. By claiming the titles of Pontifex Maximus and Emperor of the Romans for himself, Justinian is implying that he doesn't even recognize the Holy Roman Empire as a legitimate government, which would then suggest that Charles has no right to his title."

"Presenting His Imperial Majesty Nicolas IX Romanov of Russia, the Tsar of Russia, and Her Imperial Majesty Catherine Romanov of Russia, the Tsarina of Russia."

"Well, it was good seeing you again Regulus, Asterion," Mateus said. "If you'd ever like a repeat performance let us know."

Both Asterion and Regulus blushed and were rendered speechless by that comment, causing Kolin to ask, "Aren't you two married now?"

Markus nodded. "Yes, we are, but when we got married, Kristopher and Kristian each wanted a list of people they could sleep with, with our permission and thus not be breaking their vows. We decided to let them have their lists and give them permission to sleep with any of the people on them, so long as Mateus and I got to watch, join in if we wished, and got our own lists, as well."

Mateus grinned and added, "Regulus and Asterion are on our lists, because we really enjoyed our time together."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Kolin and Abigail would not be in favor of that," Charlie said.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind," Abigail said. "Markus and Mateus are quite hot," the Swedish Kings beamed at her for that description, "so I wouldn't mind if Asterion wanted to be with them again, so long as I get to watch."

"Abby!" Asterion exclaimed, clearly surprised that his girlfriend just said that.

"Don't Abby me, Asterion Black," Abigail said as she wagged her finger at him. "You're hot and the idea of watching you in bed with just one other hot guy turns me on. So watching you in bed with two hot guys? And potentially three if your father joins in?"

Regulus blushed at that, as Kolin grinned and said, "I've gotta admit, it would be pretty hot to watch," which prompted Regulus to ask, "Et tu, Kolin?"

Mateus laughed as Markus grinned and said, "Well, we're game anytime you two are. Just send us an owl and we can set something up."

Mateus nodded. "Indeed." Turning to Abigail and Kolin, he added, "Assuming they actually have the guts to set it up, we'll do our absolute best to give you a spectacular show. And you don't even have to bring anything because we'll provide the popcorn and the drinks."

"Such generous hosts," Abigail said with a smile.

"We try to be," Markus agreed. "Anyway, we really should mingle and see what Kristopher and Kristian are up to. So, we'll see you all later, hopefully."

"Especially you two," Mateus said with a grin to Regulus and Asterion.

As Markus and Mateus waved and began to move away, Kolin asked, "Actually, can I have a word in private, Your Majesties?"

The Swedish Kings looked at each other for a moment, before Markus nodded and said, "Of course, Mr. Mikaels. You are one of our expatriate subjects and from a respected family, so if we can help you with something we'll certainly try."

"Thank you, Your Majesties," Kolin said, before he left the area protected by the Silencing Charm with the two Kings.

"I wonder what he's up to," Asterion said as he watched Kolin, Markus, and Mateus enter one of the alcoves along the edge of the ballroom.

Regulus sighed. "I have no idea and I'm not sure if that should scare me or not."

"Presenting His Majesty Willem-Reinier XI Van Oranje of the Netherlands, the King of the Netherlands, and Her Majesty Sophia Van Oranje of the Netherlands, the Queen of the Netherlands. Accompanied by their son, His Royal Highness Roderik Van Oranje of the Netherlands, the Prince of Oranje and Crown Prince of the Netherlands, and their daughter-in-law, Her Royal Highness Julianna Van Oranje of the Netherlands, the Crown Princess of the Netherlands."

"Well, I'm going to go get a drink and try to catch up with Kolin," Regulus said, as he nodded to the others, before heading towards the bar.

Spying Bill across the room, Charlie said, "I'm going to go say hello to my brother." Offering his arm to Noah, he was just about to ask him to accompany him, when the words died on his tongue as Amos Diggory approached, looking none too happy.

"You!" Amos said, as he glared at Noah. "As if it wasn't bad enough for you to befoul the World Cup with your presence, now you're attending the King's wedding and reception? And conversing with royalty on top of it? Just who do you think you are, boy?"

"He's your son!" a voice exclaimed that several people recognized, most especially Evan, considering that it was his voice, or rather his voice when we wasn't disguised as Evan.

Amos turned towards the voice and angrily said, "Don't call him that, Cedric."

"Why? It's true," Cedric said and Evan had to give his double credit, because he wasn't sure where he was getting the courage to stand up to his father in such a public forum. Yes, both men were now standing inside the protective bubble of Asterion's Silencing Charm, but it still took some major guts. "You can try and deny it all you want, Father, but it doesn't change the fact that Noah is still your son and my brother."

"He is not! He's a sick, disgusting, and perverted freak," Amos ground out angrily.

"One more word out of you, Lord Diggory and I will have you ejected," Harry said, as he stepped forward. "And before you say that I can't do that, I assure you that as Lord High Chancellor I can and I will if you don't stop attacking Noah, who hasn't done anything to deserve it."

"He married a man," Amos said. "That's sick and wrong. As is what they undoubtedly do together."

Noah raised an eyebrow at that and said, "I fail to see what my husband and I do in the privacy of our bedroom is of any concern of yours, Father. Furthermore, my marriage to Charlie is legal and I love him with every fiber of my being, so I refuse to believe that it's wrong. You of course can think whatever you want, but I really don't give a fuck."

Turning away from Amos, Noah laid a hand on Cedric's shoulder and said, "Thanks for defending me bro."

Before Cedric could say anything, Amos grabbed Noah's arm and wrenched it away from Cedric as he said, "Don't touch him you sick freak! I won't allow you to touch him!"

Despite the fact that they were behind a Silencing Charm and nobody outside of it could hear what was being said, that didn't prevent people from seeing the group and there were several people now staring at Amos and Noah. Spying two of the royal guards standing about thirty feet away, Harry leaned over and whispered in Evan's ear, who nodded as he walked over to them. Moments later, Evan returned with the guards in tow.

"You asked to see us, Lord Potter?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes," Harry said. "As Lord High Chancellor of the Realm I order you to remove Lord Diggory from the premises and see that he doesn't return. His wife and son may stay if they wish, but he has overstayed his welcome."

Turning furious eyes at Harry, Amos said, "You can't do that!"

"I assure you, he very much can," a male voice said, as Tristan Nott made his presence known. Harry and the others hadn't seen him and his husband approach, although everyone in their little group was focused on Amos and Noah. Turning to the guards, he added, "It's rather superfluous of me to say this, as the Lord Chancellor's order is sufficient, but I ask that you remove Lord Diggory immediately. And if he resists or he's caught trying to reenter the castle, then you have my permission as Royal Seneschal to detain him in the dungeon pending further word from His Majesty on the issue." Turning to Amos, he added, "And considering that it's his wedding night, I doubt he'll get around to dealing with you tonight."

The two guards nodded and moving so that they were standing on either side of Amos, they motioned with their heads towards the side entrance to the ballroom. Amos looked defiant for only a moment, before he sighed and went with the guards willingly, since he knew that the Royal Seneschal actually did possess the authority to order a Lord of the Thirteen detained as it was only other Lords of the Thirteen who couldn't lock up their fellow Lords. The King, and in his absence the Royal Seneschal, were not bound by that limitation and even though he'd be placed in the noble section of the dungeons, that was one part of Castle Camelot that Amos Diggory was not at all interested in seeing.

Seeing the crowd outside of the Silencing Charm beginning to mutter and whisper amongst themselves, Tristan sighed. "This is going to send the rumor mill into overdrive."

"Indeed it is," Harry said. Turning concerned eyes towards Cedric, even if it was only the double of the real one, he asked, "Are you going to be okay returning to your home this evening? Your father was clearly angry with you defending Noah and I'm sure getting ejected from the castle isn't going to help him cool down."

"You're probably right," Cedric said.

"I suggest you give him some time to cool off," Noah said. "Maybe find Uncle Bruce and Aunt Caroline and ask to stay with them for the night."

Before Cedric could say anything, Tristan said, "Or if you'd like, you can stay here tonight."

Cedric looked surprised, as he asked, "What?"

"After Tristan and I took our positions in the Royal Household, we moved into the castle," Thomas revealed, as he wrapped an arm around his husband. "We have a spare bedroom in our apartments and you're welcome to use it, if you like."

Tristan nodded and said, "I know that you and I aren't technically related, Cedric, but your Aunt Caroline is my sister and you were around enough as my nephew Cormac was growing up for me to think of you as an honorary nephew. So if you need a place to stay, either tonight, or anytime in the future, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," Cedric said. "However, given the reason for my father's outrage this evening, I think it would be unwise for me to spend the night in the company of a same-sex couple. But I'll keep your offer in mind for the future."

"That's fine," Thomas said with a smile, as Tristan nodded. "May we at least walk you over to Bruce and Caroline to get things setup with them?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Cedric answered. After saying their goodbyes, Cedric, Tristan, and Thomas left the group to go find Cedric's aunt and uncle. Noah and Charlie left the group soon afterward, as they went to go talk to Bill.

This left only Harry, Evan, Abigail, and Asterion remaining in the group. "Well, this has certainly been an interesting evening," Abigail said. "This is the first royal function I've ever attending and I've got to say that I didn't expect this much drama."

"Yeah, neither did I to be honest," Harry said.

Evan grinned as he wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and said, "Thank you ever so much for inviting me, Harry. Despite the drama, I've gotta say this has been really fun."

"So are you two dating?" Abigail asked.

Harry was about to say no, since he and Evan hadn't discussed that when Evan smiled and said, "Yes, we are."

Harry's eyes widened. "You sure about that? It wasn't that long ago that you were terrified of coming out."

"Well, that's mostly because I don't want my father to know about it for obvious reasons," Evan said. "But as Evan, I don't have to worry about that."

Abigail looked truly confused as she said, "What? I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Oops," Evan said, as he looked at Harry and Asterion, who both knew who Evan really was.

"Perhaps we should take this someplace a bit more private," Asterion said, as Harry nodded and the group of four left the ballroom proper and headed over to one of the empty alcoves along the sides of the room.

Once Asterion and Harry had checked to insure that the alcove was empty except for the four of them, Asterion closed the curtains and summoned his staff, before casting the most powerful mage-level Secrecy Charms that he knew, which were highly likely to be well beyond the capabilities of most of the attendees to overcome quickly. He also set several Monitoring Charms which would tell him the moment anyone got near the closed curtains or tried to take down any of his charms. He didn't think anyone actually would since the alcoves were intended for privacy and closing the curtains only reinforced that, but he figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Pulling out his wand, Evan cancelled the Glamour Charms, causing Evan Lockwood to melt away and be replaced by Cedric Diggory. Obviously Abigail was quite surprised at this revelation, as she asked, "Wait, you're Cedric?"

Cedric nodded. "Yes, Abigail, I am."

"Then who was the other Cedric?"

Thinking fast, Harry said, "The other Cedric you saw was obviously not Cedric, as this is the real one. The one you saw earlier was actually Roger Davies, my solicitor's son wearing Glamour Charms to look like Cedric."

Since Roger wasn't nobility he had not been invited to the wedding and thus Harry figured that it was a safe way to avoid getting into the existence of the Fidelius or the whole magically created double thing.

"Why?" Abigail asked.

"I'm gay, Abigail," Cedric said, having gotten better at saying it since the initial confrontation regarding his sexuality. "Harry is too and we've started dating. The relationship is very new, but it's something we'd both like to pursue. The problem is my father. I don't think I need to tell you that he despises gay people."

Abigail nodded. "Yes, I picked up on that. So, you adopted this Evan Lockwood persona in order to be able to go out in public with Harry without your father knowing about it?"

"Precisely," Cedric said. "I don't want to have to deal with my father, so Roger agreed to help Harry and I hide our relationship from him. Of course, with his father being Harry's solicitor, he's sworn an Oath of Loyalty to Harry, so he technically wouldn't have a choice if Harry decided to insist, but Roger agreed of his own free will."

"Okay, well I think it's brilliant personally," Abigail said. "And actually it's rather romantic in a Romeo and Juliet kind of way. Or I suppose in this case in a Romeo and Julian kind of way. The whole forbidden love thing, not the whole tragic ending bit."

"I wouldn't say that we're in love at this point," Harry said. "It's too early in the relationship for that I think." Cedric nodded in agreement, before Harry added, "At this point, we're just good friends. Albeit friends who enjoy kissing each other and going out to have some fun occasionally."

Although to be honest the times that they were allowed out to have some fun wasn't very often due to their training, but Abigail didn't need to know about that. Plus, only Minerva could tell her anyway due to the Fidelius, so there was no point in mentioning that.

"As well you should," Abigail said. She then looked thoughtful for a moment before she said, "Would you be opposed to two more people joining you on your outings?"

"What you mean like a double date?" Harry asked.

"Yes, exactly like a double date," Abigail answered. "Only with a couple who much like you and Cedric, can't go out in public without issues."

"Who exactly are we talking about here?" Cedric asked. "When you first said it I thought you were asking if Harry and I would be willing to go on a double date with you and Asterion. Which I think we'd be open to doing, but I can't think of any reason why you and Asterion can't go out in public together."

"She's not referring to us," Asterion confirmed. "She's referring to another couple who literally can't go out in public together because they'd get too many people staring at them and more than likely more than a few people who would condemn them for being together and not because they're gay."

Harry and Cedric both looked confused, so Abigail said, "Since you were both at the Tribunal, I know you're aware of my brothers, Jonas and Lukas." Harry and Cedric nodded. "Obviously they're identical twins, but they're also a couple."

"A couple?" Cedric asked. "You mean that they're dating each other?"

"Yes," Abigail answered. "That doesn't gross you out does it?"

Harry and Cedric were both quiet for a moment, before Harry responded, "I can't speak for Cedric, but no, I can't say that it grosses me out. I gotta admit that I do find it a little strange, because they're identical and dating each other would seem, on the surface to be, well narcissistic. Still, if they love each other in a romantic sense then I guess there's no reason they shouldn't be together that way."

"I can't imagine that Cedric has a problem with it," Asterion said with a grin before Cedric could say anything. "Not with the way he was hanging all over Cormac at Noah and Charlie's wedding and the Founder's Ball until Cormac dumped him. Or should I say Evan?"

Cedric blushed crimson and said, "I'd just like to point out that I have absolutely no interest in Cormac in a romantic or sexual sense. Even if I did, he's straight and wouldn't go for it. As for why I was hanging onto him, well, after years of suppressing my sexuality I guess I got a bit carried away with the freedom that a new name and face gave me."

"Understandable," Asterion said. Of course, he'd already known Cedric's reasons.

Shaking his head, Cedric said, "As for Jonas and Lukas, I guess there's really nothing wrong with them being together. I know lots of people would disagree with that, but they're both grown men, so what they do in private is nobody's business but theirs. And since they can't get each other pregnant, I don't see why they can't do whatever they want with each other. It's not like they're committing mass murder or something. Nobody is getting hurt, so I don't think anyone should really care."

Harry nodded. "Indeed. I think an argument could also be made that after what they've been through, they deserve every bit of happiness they can get, so if being together makes them happy, then I think they should totally be together." After a moment, he added, "And I wouldn't be opposed to going out on a date with them I guess. I assume you're thinking that Cedric, or rather Evan and I, would pose as their boyfriends on this date? Thus hiding the fact that they're a couple themselves?"

"I wasn't thinking that exactly," Abigail said. "I just thought it might be fun for them to go out with another couple, although now that you mention it, that wouldn't be the worst idea. If you're willing to do it, that is."

"I'd be open to it, I guess," Cedric said, as he thought back to the Tribunal. He tried to do that as little as possible, but it was the only time that he could remember meeting Jonas and Lukas. "They're certainly easy on the eyes."

"That's true," Harry agreed. "Of course, they are in their mid-twenties, so some people might think it's wrong for Cedric and me to be dating them, although there's no legal reason that we can't. Cedric is 17 now and thus legally an adult and I was declared a legal adult when I took my title."

"Well it's not like I'm asking you to have sex with them," Abigail said with a grin. "Just go out with them and have some fun. Honestly, despite the age difference, I think the four of you would get along rather well. At least, from what Asterion has told me about the two of you."

"I'd agree with that," Asterion said. "And Jon and Luke are really very nice guys and I guess I have to agree with you, Cedric, that they're attractive." Blushing, he added, "Especially without shirts on."

"You've seen them without their shirts on?" Harry asked. "How did that happen, Rion? And should Abigail be worried?"

"No! I'm borderline bisexual according to the Kinsey scale, so I can recognize attractive men when I see them, but that doesn't mean that I want to do anything with them. Regardless of what I may have done in the past with certain people. And as for how I saw them without their shirts on, we've worked out together a couple of times and they took their shirts off. All I can say is that they've definitely got nothing to be ashamed of."

Since Silencing Charms only worked one way, making it so that what was said inside of them wasn't heard by anyone outside of them, but didn't prevent the people inside the Charm from hearing what was going on outside of it, all of them heard the majordomo's staff hitting the floor, before he said, "Presenting His Imperial Majesty Huang-Ji XII Yuan of China, the Emperor of China, and Her Imperial Majesty Mei-Ling Yuan of China, the Empress of China. Accompanied by their son, His Imperial Highness Huang-Jian Yuan of China, the Crown Prince of China, and their daughter-in-law, Her Imperial Highness Xiu-Ting Yuan of China, the Crown Princess of China."

"I suppose we should be getting back out there," Harry said, as the others nodded.

"Yeah," Cedric said and then asked, "Um, Rion could you reapply my Glamours for me? I can take them off without a problem but applying them, well, I'm not so good at that."

In truth, due to his mage training, Cedric couldn't reapply them himself because he'd shorted out his wand trying to do that once already, forcing Nick to replace it. Taking them off was easier than applying them, however, and he knew he could do that much without a danger to his wand.

Asterion, who knew this, nodded and said, "No problem." Saying something under his breath, the gem on the top of Asterion's staff flashed before Cedric Diggory morphed back into Evan Lockwood, much faster than he had earlier in the night when the charms had originally been put on by Minerva.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen Glamours put on that fast," Harry said.

Asterion grinned and said, "Well, let's just say that there were times that my father and I were in places where there was a risk of us being recognized, so we got very good at applying Glamours and thus have way more practice in streamlining the application of them."

Harry and Evan nodded, and Abigail said, "I'll see if I can get Jon and Luke to send you guys an owl. In the meantime, let's get back out there."

Once he'd dropped all of the protective charms and banished his staff, Asterion opened the curtains and the four young people exited the alcove, before returning to roughly the same spot in the ballroom they'd been earlier, just as the majordomo prepared to announce another group of royals.

"Presenting His Majesty Francis VI Bourbon of France, the King of France and Navarra, and Her Majesty Angelique Bourbon of France, the Queen of France and Navarra. Accompanied by Her Majesty Nathalie Bourbon of France, the Queen-Mother of France and Navarra."

Asterion shook his head and said, "That's another announcement that's probably going to cause a bit of a stir because Navarra is part of the Iberian Empire since it's in Spain. Otherwise known as Pamplona. But, despite losing the land over a century ago, the French royals have thus far refused to drop the title."

Evan nodded. Having grown up as a noble heir, he was versed in some of the various court politics, although he was much more familiar with those of Albion, Iwernia and the rest of the empire. Still, France was relatively close to Albion and because of the disputes over French Camelot, the nobility in Albion tended to be more aware of the goings on in France then they were in some of the other kingdoms and empires. "Yes, I'm sure King-Emperor Philip would have some choice words for them, but I doubt he'll say anything here and risk angering Edward."

"Yes, one would hope," Harry said, as he looked at King Francis and was shocked by how young he and his wife were. "Wait, doesn't King Francis have ten children?"

"Yes, he does," Asterion answered.

"How?" Harry asked. "He looks so young. Nowhere near old enough to have ten children."

"Well, they're both only twenty years old," Asterion revealed. "However, they got married when they were both only thirteen, because Francis's father was dying and wanted his only son and heir to be married and give him a grandchild before he died. At the time the Bourbons had been aging and slowly dying off, so Francis and his wife employed the magical equivalent of fertility drugs and thus despite having ten children, Angelique has only been pregnant four times."

"Ten children in only four pregnancies?" Abigail asked.

"Indeed," Asterion said. "The first was a single birth while the second was triplets. The third was a set of twins and the fourth was a set of quadruplets. In all they have seven sons and three daughters who range in age from six to just over a year old as the quads were born in September of last year."

As the French royals moved down into the ballroom proper the doors opened again to admit a large group of people, some of whom Harry recognized from his trip to Egypt.

"Presenting His Most Divine Majesty Seti LVII Ptolemy of Egypt, the Pharaoh and Living God of Upper and Lower Egypt and Emperor of the Egyptian Empire and Her Imperial Majesty Meritites XVI Ptolemy, the Great Royal Wife and Empress of the Egyptian Empire."

The majordomo paused for a moment and Harry could clearly see him taking a deep breath, before he continued, "Accompanied by his junior wives, in order of their marriage, Her Imperial Highness Arsinoe Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire, Her Imperial Highness Hatshepsut Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire, Her Imperial Highness Nefertari Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire, Her Imperial Highness Cleopatra Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire, Her Imperial Highness Berenice Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire, and Her Imperial Highness Nefertiti Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire."

"That's a lot of wives for one man," Abigail commented.

"Agreed," Harry said with a nod of his head, as the majordomo began speaking again.

"Further accompanied by his sons His Imperial Highness Khufu Ptolemy of Egypt, the Crown Prince of the Egyptian Empire, and Their Imperial Highnesses Neferkamin Ptolemy of Egypt, Djoser Ptolemy of Egypt, Khaneferre Ptolemy of Egypt, Menkare Ptolemy of Egypt, Nikare Ptolemy of Egypt, Djedkare Ptolemy of Egypt, and Nerikare Ptolemy of Egypt, Princes of the Egyptian Empire. And finally his daughter-in-law Her Imperial Highness Nephthys Ptolemy of Egypt, Princess-Consort of the Egyptian Empire."

Harry's eyes widened as he looked upon Jedrik Ptolemy, as Markus Eriksson had called Djedkare and Nerikare, and he could instantly see why Markus and Mateus would believe that Jedrik's connection to one another was more extreme than their own. Prince Djedkare was leaning to the left while Prince Nerikare was leaning to the right, since their separate torsos conjoined at the waist and connected to a single pair of legs. They appeared to be in their mid-to-late thirties and from the resemblance to Neferkamin, Harry assumed that the three of them were full siblings.

"Wow, Markus and Mateus weren't lying when they said they were joined in a much more extreme fashion," Evan said.

"Indeed they weren't," Abigail agreed. "And those are some pretty elaborate tattoos that they've got."

Since Djedkare and Nerikare, like all the Egyptian royals, were dressed in traditional Ancient Egyptian attire which was similar to what Edward and Ramesses had worn during their wedding ceremony, the fact that Djedkare's and Nerikare's arms were tattooed was clearly visible. From what Harry could see it looked like they'd opted for matching tattoos as Djedkare had a red rose tattooed on his left arm and Nerikare had an identical, only reversed, tattoo on his right arm. It was Nerikare's left arm, however, which probably prompted Abigail's comment as it was almost completely covered in tattoos of more roses and what looked like a Chinese Fireball. Since Nerikare's left arm was currently in front of Djedkare's right arm the tattoos on it weren't fully visible, but from what Harry could see of them, they were clearly perfect mirror images of Nerikare's tattoos.

Once the Egyptian imperial family had moved off the dais, the doors were closed as a drumroll sounded throughout the ballroom, followed by the royal fanfare. When the doors reopened, Edward and Ramesses, entered the room. They had now changed out of the Ancient Egyptian clothes that they'd worn at the wedding with Edward wearing the traditional state outfit and Ramesses wearing a similar one, although slightly less elaborate than Edward's and without the sheath holding Excalibur.

"Presenting His Imperial and Royal Majesty Edward IX Pendragon, the King-Emperor of Albion and Iwernia and Emperor of the Empire of Camelot and His Imperial and Royal Majesty Ramesses I Pendragon, the King-Emperor-Consort of Albion and Iwernia and Emperor-Consort of the Empire of Camelot."

The doors remained open, however, as a golden easel floated into the room behind Edward and Ramesses, on which rested the portrait of Edward's parents, prompting the majordomo to add, "Accompanied by the portrait of His Imperial and Royal Highness Michael Pendragon, the late Crown Prince of Albion and Iwernia, the Empire of Camelot, and Duke of Penderleath, and Her Imperial and Royal Highness Margaret Pendragon, the late Crown Princess of Albion and Iwernia, the Empire of Camelot, and Duchess of Penderleath."

Pulling his wand out of a holster concealed in his right glove, Edward put it against his throat and then said, "I understand that it is perhaps a bit unusual for a portrait to be announced or to even attend a wedding reception, but my parents were quite insistent that they be allowed to attend this event, so I decided to allow it. I only wish they could be here this evening in person, instead of only as a portrait."

There were several nods from all over the room at this statement, before Edward said, "Ramesses and I would like to thank each and every one of you here this evening for attending both our wedding and this reception." Ramesses nodded, before Edward grinned, looking almost childlike as he said, "Now that everyone is here and announced… let's party!"

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The End.

And there you have the second one-shot of 'Along the Journey'. I know this may have been a bit cumbersome at points due to all the foreign royals and their titles, but I do hope that it was at least moderately enjoyable. More one-shots, including a few more set during the reception in which you might hear from a few more of the foreign royals, will come in the future. But that's a stories for another day.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to contact me in a review, by email, my Yahoo group, or on Twitter JVascardi.


	4. The Wedding Night

Unexpected Love: Along the Journey  
Written by J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. I'm not profiting on this story and it is not my intent to infringe on anyone's copyright or trademark. The only things about this story that I own are the characters and storylines not featured in the books.

Summary: After the wedding reception dinner, Edward converses with a few people, before his new father-in-law gives him the key to Ramesses's chastity belt. Once Edward feels that he and Ramesses can leave without being missed, they retreat to the royal bedroom for the moment that Ramesses has been looking forward to for over a decade.

Pairings: Edward Pendragon (OMC)/Ramesses Pendragon (OMC)

Warnings: Original Characters; Slash; M/M Sex; First Time

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One-Shot #3

The Wedding Night

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" _Belle fête_ , Edward."

Turning to the voice that had just spoken, Edward spied the twenty-year-old King of France, Francis Bourbon, standing behind him, holding a half-full crystal champagne flute in his hand.

" _Merci_ , Francis," Edward said, easily switching over to French, which was just one of the many languages that Edward spoke fluently. Growing up his tutors believed that he should be able to speak to the world's other wizarding monarchs and the leaders of creature groups in their native tongues. This meant that among many others, Edward was fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Egyptian Arabic, Dutch, Mermish and Gobbledegook, along with several ancient dialects, including both Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek.

Needless to say that between his studies and being the Emperor of one of the largest empires on the globe, he really didn't have much of a childhood. Being kidnapped and locked away in Nurmengard was almost a blessing in disguise, as it had saved him from his overzealous tutors. Although, if he had to choose between the two, he would have chosen his tutors because even as strict as they were about him learning way more than the average person, they at least did allow him some freedom, which by the very nature of the place, had been non-existent at Nurmengard. " _Vous êtes bien, je fais confiance?_ "

" _Assez bien, je vous remercie,_ " Francis said, before he grinned and said, "Still fluent in French, I see." Edward nodded. "Admirable, although since I'm fluent in English and we are in your country, we should probably use it instead."

"Indeed, I suppose that would be a good idea," Edward said, as he returned his fellow monarch's grin. He'd always liked Francis when he was younger. Between his studies and his royal duties, Edward hadn't had much free time growing up, but there were occasional bouts of it and during those times when he got it and was either visiting France or the Bourbons were visiting Albion, Edward and the then Prince Francis had hit it off pretty well, despite their five-year age difference.

"I have to say, Edward, I was very surprised when I got the invitation to your wedding. Surprised and hurt."

"Hurt? Why?"

Francis sighed. "Because you picked my Uncle Ramesses over me, of course."

Edward looked at Francis for a moment, completely unsure what to say after that. He knew that Ramesses was Francis's uncle, because Francis's mother, the Queen-Mother Nathalie, had actually been born Nathifa Ptolemy and was Seti's eldest daughter with Meritites. After a moment, Edward remembered something and grinned. "Well, Francis, it could have been worse. I could have picked Djoser. He was in the running you know."

"Oh be still my heart," Francis said in a mock-dramatic tone. "You really would have wounded me if you'd picked my Uncle Djoser – who's also my nephew."

Djoser Ptolemy's mother, Berenice Ptolemy, was Francis's older half-sister, as his father, the late King Francis V, had been married once before Queen-Mother Nathalie. He divorced his first wife, however, after she gave him only daughters and a single stillborn son before being rendered barren by a magical illness. As much as Francis V may have come to like his first wife—being a political union they'd never actually been in love—he'd needed a living son to take the crown, so the first wife had to go.

"Besides, Francis, you're married," Edward pointed out. "And I figured that any marriage agreement between our countries would have you asking that Albion cede even more of French Camelot to France, and I wasn't willing to do that."

"You let a little thing like the fact that I'm married stop you?" Francis asked, ignoring the second part of Edward's reasoning for the moment. "Edward, Edward, Edward… it's very much an open secret in France and pretty much everywhere else that Angelique and I are not in love with each other, considering that we both prefer our own genders."

' _Okay, I can honestly say I didn't know that,'_ Edward thought. Although then again, having been in prison for over a decade, he imagined there was quite a bit in terms of court intrigue that he'd missed. Aloud, he said, "Really? You could have fooled me, Francis, because ten children seems a bit excessive if you're both gay."

"The fertility potions are to blame for that," Francis explained. "Angelique has only been pregnant four times. Honestly, we probably would have stopped having children after our eldest son, Jourdain, but my family was aging and dying off. And there was quite a bit of fear and pressure from the people to build it back up, especially after what happened to your family, so Angelique and I decided that having a spare heir would be a good idea. Of course her second pregnancy ended up being triplet girls, so a third was necessary since much like Albion, women are barred from the succession in France."

Edward nodded. "Indeed, but then how do you explain the fourth pregnancy? The third was twin boys, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Francis confirmed. "However, they were sickly when they were born and the healers warned us they might not survive, so we tried again and got the quadruplet sons. Of course, by then the twins' health had improved and it became clear they weren't going to die after all, thank Eileithyia."

"So, not going to have any more then I take it?"

"Oh hell no," Francis said emphatically. "Don't get me wrong, I love all my children dearly, but I really think ten is plenty, because I have absolutely zero desire to have as many children as Grandfather Seti."

Edward laughed. "Indeed. Ramesses and I talked about that and we're in total agreement that we don't want that many either."

"Well you won't be having any at all until grandfather gives you the key to Ram's belt," Francis said with a grin. "Has he done that yet?"

"No, he hasn't. I suspect he's waiting awhile for fear that Ramesses and I will ditch the reception too quickly if he does as needless to say Ramesses is more than a little impatient to get that particular garment off."

"I'm sure that's not the only thing my dear uncle wants to get off," Francis said with a grin, his tone clearly indicating what he meant. As Edward blushed slightly, Francis shook his head and remembering the second part of Edward's previous reasoning, said, "Anyway, as for the ceding of more of French Camelot, while I admit that would be popular among many of my people, I wouldn't have asked you for that, Edward."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Francis said. "As I said, many of my people would like it if more of French Camelot came under French control, especially if we could get part of the Atlantic or Channel coastlines under our control. However, what many of those people who would like that idea fail to take into consideration is that after hundreds of years under Camelot control the people living there don't identify themselves as French. They think of themselves as English and that was probably the cause of the mass exodus in the 18th century after the marriage alliance between our families ceded a large portion of the Archduchy of French Camelot to France."

Edward nodded. "I do seem to remember reading about that. The lands were ceded in the alliance and within weeks there were hundreds of residents of the ceded lands immigrating to the lands we retained control of."

"Indeed. Honestly, it caused a bit of an economic crisis for us because we'd expected getting all that extra land would be beneficial, but then when over eighty percent of the residents emigrated away, most of the farms and businesses were left either completely unstaffed or overwhelmingly understaffed and thus very little extra money was coming in. Even less so once my great-great-grandfather tried to induce people to move there. They did, of course, but it stretched our workforce so thin for a number of years that economists have since agreed that those inducements were folly as they didn't really accomplish what they'd set out to do."

"Well, surely the land has more than made up for it by now?"

"One would think," Francis agreed. "However, when I said our workforce was stretched thin I meant it. So thin that we ended up taking several loans from the goblins, which is on top of what we'd already owed them on what had been borrowed to build the Palace of Versailles. Honestly, my ancestors probably wouldn't have built the magical version of it at all if it wasn't for the fact that they couldn't stand the thought of the muggles having a nicer royal palace than them."

Edward grinned. "Oh now there's a feeling I understand. There was talk here too about building a magical version of Buckingham Palace, although in the end, my ancestors chose to improve the Winter Palace instead. Which probably saved us a fortune since we were only improving an existing building instead of building a brand new one. Buckingham House was never built here in the magical world either, so we wouldn't have had that base to work off of."

"Indeed." Francis sighed. "Oh well, what's done is done. What with the interest, I'm afraid Jourdain's grandchildren will still be paying the goblins back what we owe them. Thankfully, we've never missed a payment, so they're content not to use more forcible means to collect the debt. Although whether they'd risk an all-out war with France and its allies I couldn't really say."

"I doubt it. They're a warlike race, yes, but they're also smart and practical enough to know that if they start another war, it's likely that all of the other governments of the wizarding world are going to join in. Especially those who owe money to the goblins, hoping that the combined might of all the governments would be enough to win the war and force a peace treaty that includes debt forgiveness. I know they'd hate that idea, but if they're beaten badly enough, it's a concession they'd grudgingly grant."

Shaking his head, Francis said, "Anyway, enough of this depressing talk of debts and war. If you ever decide you want to practice polygamy like Grandfather Seti keep me in mind, will you, Edward?"

Edward grinned. "Actually, I fully intend to take a page from Seti's book and take multiple husbands." Francis's grin widened at this, only to falter moments later when Edward added, "But I would never consider marrying you Francis."

"Why not?"

"Because we're both reigning monarchs, Francis. And since Camelot is the larger of the two that would mean that marrying me would require you to renounce your title and position, which means Jourdain would immediately become King of France. I have enough experience with being a young monarch to know what it's like and I would never do anything that would force that burden onto a six-year-old."

Francis sighed heavily. "Yes, I suppose I hadn't thought about that. You're right, of course. International law quite clearly states that nobody can hold titles or claims in two different royal families, thus preventing the possibility of wars of succession between two countries trying take over the throne."

Edward nodded. "Indeed. So, if we got married, you'd be demoted from King of France and Navarra to Prince-Consort of Albion, Iwernia, and Camelot, while Jourdain would become King of France and Navarra in your place. Even though he would become my stepson, he wouldn't gain any claims to my throne, since he's not of my blood. Meanwhile, should you and I ever have children, they'd have no claims to France's throne."

"Fine, I guess, marriage is out of the question for us," Francis said, before he grinned wickedly and said, "However, if you ever want to have some fun, I don't see any reason why we couldn't hook up occasionally… so long as you don't expect Uncle Ramesses and I to do anything with each other."

"I wouldn't expect either of you two to do anything you're uncomfortable with and I'll keep it in mind, Francis, because while I don't believe you're a viable marriage option, I've gotta admit you're still a good-looking man and I'd be a fool not to at least consider having a fling with you."

"A fling with my nephew?" Ramesses asked, as he and Djoser walked over, from where they'd been talking to their half-brothers, Khufu and Khafre. "We haven't even been married a day and you're already talking about straying?"

Edward could tell from both his tone and his expression, however, that Ramesses was only kidding. Ramesses knew going into this marriage, after all, that it was a political union and the fact that he and Edward now knew they were soulmates didn't change that fact. That alone didn't create instant feelings and while Ramesses hoped they might develop in time, he knew that Edward intended to take multiple husbands and would probably have multiple lovers. Some people would probably not be able to deal with that, but Ramesses knew that it was a common practice among royals, especially Kings and Emperors, to take multiple lovers. He also had firsthand experience with many of his father's lovers, since he'd grown up in the Imperial Harem, and thus lived with all of his father's wives and concubines.

Growing up in such an environment it was basically impossible for Ramesses or any of Seti's other children not to get used to the idea of anyone having more than one lover. Sex inside the Imperial Harem was pretty much an everyday occurrence, after all, whether it be Seti's unmarried sons granting favors of an oral nature to visiting dignitaries—his unmarried daughters were strictly forbidden from such activities for propriety's sake—or Seti's concubines having relations with each other. That was probably something that might surprise some people, but Seti didn't require his wives or concubines to remain faithful to him. Well, his wives were limited to sex with him, each other, or the court eunuchs, all of whom still had functioning penises as it was only their testicles that had been removed, since children wouldn't be possible in any of those pairings. His concubines, however, were allowed to have sex with anyone they wanted, since any children they had, even if Seti was the father, were barred from the succession since they weren't legitimate.

Wrapping his arm around Ramesses, Edward kissed his cheek and said, "Well, Francis was upset that I chose you over him, which got us talking about marriage. Obviously I pointed out that we couldn't get married if he intended to remain a king, so he then suggested that we hook up occasionally."

"That's fine," Ramesses said. "So long as I'm not in the room, I don't care if you two go at it like rabbits." Turning to Francis, he added, "Because while I'll admit you're cute you're also my nephew. Well, half-nephew, if you want to get technical, but even then I don't really have any desire to see you naked or having sex."

Djoser nodded and said, "Oh yeah, he's definitely cute." Then with a grin, he added, "Although personally, I wouldn't object to adding another relationship between us if it meant getting this damn belt off. What do you say, Blue? Help a guy out, will you? Please?"

For as long as Francis could remember the color blue had always been his favorite color and he was almost never seen wearing anything that didn't include it in some form. In fact, after his father died and he became King, the fact that he'd been expected to wear all mourning black had actually prompted him to dye his hair blue for several months afterwards. Thus, Francis had been dubbed Blue by his friends and it was a nickname that he didn't object to because in truth, he'd never been a huge fan of his first name to begin with. He did, however, hate the idea of being called Frank even more than he disliked Francis and thus he'd actively encouraged people to call him Blue instead. Obviously he still had to use Francis in official settings, but among friends and family, he preferred Blue. The only exceptions were his children who called him _Père_ instead, but that was to be expected since he was their father.

Shaking his head, Francis said, "No deal, Josh. As much as I'd like to help you get out of that torture device, I'm not going to marry you. It's confusing enough to me that you're already both my uncle and my nephew, so I really have no desire to add husband on top of that. Besides, Jourdain has entered the inquisitive stage where he's asking questions about everything under the sun and I don't need the stress of trying to explain to him the how's and why's of his Granduncle Djoser becoming his new stepfather. It was hard enough to explain to him how it is that you're also his first cousin."

Djoser moaned at this and said, "Oh please don't call me Jourdain's granduncle." Holding up his hand to forestall the comment that he knew Francis was about to make, he added, "Yes, damn it, I know that is what I technically am, but I'm way too young to be a grand anything. I'm only nineteen for pity sake! So for me to have a six-year-old grandnephew is just crazy beyond words."

There would probably be some people who would think that Djoser shouldn't have said 'damn it' when talking to a reigning monarch, but nobody in the group of four was going to hold it against him, considering that they were all related either by blood or marriage. Of course, even Edward was technically related to the others by blood, because as distant as the relationship was, almost every single one of the royal families of the Wizarding World had married into each other's lines at some point, which meant that technically speaking, Edward wasn't the only living person who could claim descent from Arthur and Merlin. Francis, for example, was also a direct descendant of Arthur and Merlin, owing to the fact that his many-times great-grandmother was the duo's first-born daughter, who'd been married off to the then King of France.

"I can definitely see how you would think that was crazy," Edward commented, as while he was older than Djoser, it was only by four years, well five in about two weeks' time, and thus he couldn't even begin to fathom the idea of being anyone's granduncle.

Francis and Ramesses both nodded their heads, but otherwise remained silent. Francis's eyes drifted across the room at this point as he spied Djoser's half-brothers, Djedkare and Nerikare, having a rather animated discussion with another pair of conjoined twins that he didn't recognize.

Motioning his head in that direction, Francis asked, "Does anyone know who the twins that Jedrik are talking to are?"

Edward, Ramesses, and Djoser all turned to look and while Edward and Djoser didn't recognize them, Ramesses did. "That's Chandler and Schuyler Delrossi, the nephews of Lord Rafael Delrossi, the Grand Duke of Southern Italia. They do seem to be hitting it off quite well, I have to say."

"Yes, they do," Djoser said. "I'll bet Jedrik is hoping that they can use Chandler and Schuyler to get out of their belt, because if they don't get out of it soon, I honestly think they're going to run out of non-tattooed skin."

Not knowing Djedkare or Nerikare as well as the other three did, Edward looked confused as he asked, "What does getting out of their belt have to do with their tattoos?"

Ramesses smiled. "You remember how Neferkamin said that he used bodybuilding as a way to deal with his frustrated libido?" Edward nodded and at this began to realize where this was going. "Well, it's the same situation for Djedkare and Nerikare, or Jedrik as they'll collectively nicknamed, only they deal with it by getting tattoos."

"Father wasn't exactly pleased with the tattoos at first," Djoser revealed. "Although, he understood that they were sexually frustrated and that it was their way of dealing with it, so he eventually decided that it was their bodies and they could do what they wanted with them."

"So, I take it they're gay?" Edward asked. Ramesses and Djoser nodded. "Then why weren't they included in the group Seti brought for me to meet as potential suitors?"

"Because they're 37," Ramesses answered. "And you said you only wanted people between the ages of 14 and 35."

Edward was quiet for a moment. "I guess I hadn't realized just how close that cutoff age would get to eliminating potentials. So who else was eliminated due to the age range I set?"

"Well, there's fifteen of us in all, myself included, who prefer men," Djoser said. "Twelve of them were in your requested age range, but two of those are already happily married to the sons of Egyptian nobles. The other three are Djedkare, Nerikare, and Thutmose."

Ramesses said, "Thutmose, or T.J. as he prefers to be called, was only thirteen when you made the request for a marriage alliance, although he actually turned fourteen the day after you chose me, so he was very narrowly eliminated by your age range. He actually wanted to be here tonight, but he's recovering from a chest infection at the moment and the imperial healers advised against allowing him to travel for the time being."

"Okay, now I feel kind of bad for setting that range," Edward said. "Of course I set it because I didn't want any of my potential suitors to be too young to legally engage in sexual relations here in Albion or to be old enough to be my parent. I suppose I could have gone a little bit older than thirty-five, although that's already twelve years older than me."

Djoser shook his head. "Oh don't worry about it too much, Edward. You'd probably still have picked Ram."

Ramesses grinned. "Oh I know he still would have picked me."

"Confident much?" Francis asked.

"Yes, very," Ramesses said, unsure if he should reveal the fact that they'd since found out that they were soulmates or not. While it was due to their mage training that they'd found out, their soulmate status was not protected by the Fidelius as it wasn't directly related to their training.

Edward smiled, as he again kissed Ramesses on his cheek. "Yes, you're probably right. As Neferkamin and Djoser can attest to, it became pretty clear early on that I was clearly drawn to Ramesses."

"Indeed, that's true," Djoser said. "You still made an admirable effort to get to know Kamin and I and seemed to enjoy our company, but it was pretty clear which way you were leaning, so we weren't at all surprised when we were knocked off our feet by the engagement bonding. Kamin and I were together at the time, having just gotten out of the swimming pool. Ended up toppling backwards back into the pool because of the wave of magic released by the bonding."

Edward looked concerned by that, but only until Ramesses said, "Well, at least you had a softer landing than most people probably did."

Djoser laughed. "Yeah, that's probably true. I've heard that there were a few minor injuries from that wave of magic, although nothing life-threatening. At least, not to any living creatures. Apparently several eggs, tomatoes, and a few other items in the palace kitchens were not so lucky."

Wanting to change the subject, Edward asked, "How exactly would that work for Jedrik? Do they both have to get married in order to have their chastity belt removed? What with them basically sharing one?" Looking over at them, where he noticed they were still talking with Chandler and Schuyler, he added, "And are their canes just decorative like the ones the lords here use as part of their formal attire or more functional?"

Knowing that the lords in Albion kept the wands in their canes, Djoser said, "They're not really decorative, no. They do serve a functional purpose, because they each control one leg, so that can get a little hard in terms of walking, with separate brains controlling each leg. However, they can do it without their canes, but they tend to use them for added stability. It shouldn't surprise you that with two upper bodies connected to a single pair of legs that they're rather top-heavy."

Ramesses nodded and said, "Yes, and they can get unbalanced a lot easier than most people because they both lean to one side, so the canes essentially serve as their second pair of legs in order to provide them with extra balance. As Josh said, however, they can walk without them, but when they're in large groups of people where it would be easier for somebody to accidentally knock into them, they use the canes in order to try and prevent themselves from falling flat on their faces or butt."

"You know I really can't imagine what it would be like to share my dick with another person," Francis said. "I mean that's gotta be awkward. Although, back to the first part of Edward's question, I've actually always wondered that myself."

Djoser commented, "Since it's all they've ever known, I doubt that Jedrik find it all that awkward. It's not like they have any experience with having their own, so it's simply always been theirs. It's not like there's anything that they can do about it."

"As for their chastity belt," Ramesses said, "I'm honestly not sure on that front. If they've discussed it with Father, they haven't shared what he said with us. All I know is that their belt is custom-fitted with an extra strap and padlock that Josh's and my belts don't have. As there's an additional strap that goes between them where their torsos separate."

"Neferkamin might know," Djoser said after a moment. "He's closer to them since they're his full siblings, as they're Father's first three-born children with Princess-Consort Arsinoe."

Scanning the ballroom to see if he could spot Neferkamin, Edward grinned and said, "Well, speaking of Neferkamin, it looks like Jedrik aren't the only ones engaged in animated conversations." Motioning with his head, he said, "As it looks like Neferkamin is certainly enjoying himself talking to Regulus and Kolin."

"Are they nobility?" Djoser asked. "I'd hate to think that Kamin is wasting his time."

"Kolin isn't," Edward answered. "But Regulus is currently his brother's heir. His brother being Lord Sirius Black, the Marquis of Charlton. So until Sirius has a son, Regulus is Earl of Alnwick and his son Asterion is Viscount Langleeford."

"I take it they're a couple?" Francis asked. "Regulus and Kolin I mean?"

"Yes, they are," Edward said. "I'd talked to them before tonight and they claimed not to be, but I saw them kiss at dinner, so I'd assume their relationship status has changed. Kolin is only two years older than Regulus's son Asterion, but I think they still make a good looking couple."

"Yes, I'd agree with that," Ramesses said. "And I don't think Father would have any qualms about Regulus having a non-noble boyfriend if Regulus were to marry Kamin, as he's noble and that's all Father would care about. He probably wouldn't even complain if Kolin married Kamin, as long as Regulus did it first."

"What about Neferkamin?" Seti asked as he approached the group from behind and thus none of them had seen him coming. Ramesses's mother, Princess-Consort Nefertari, her twin brother Justinian, and his husband Theron were with him.

"Hello, Seti," Edward and Francis said in almost perfect unison, as Ramesses and Djoser said, "Hello, Father," seconds after them. Ramesses, of course, added "and Mother."

Seti nodded and said, "Edward, I know you've met Ramesses's mother."

Taking Nefertari's hand, Edward leaned down and kissed it, as he said, "Indeed, I have. It's a pleasure to see you again, my lady."

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty," Nefertari replied. "And now that you're married to my son, you may if you so choose call me mother or mum. I'll understand, however, if you're not comfortable doing that."

"I could probably do that, Mum," Edward said, in a somewhat hesitant tone, testing it out even as he said it. He didn't really have any clear memories, other than the conversation just before his wedding with his parents' portrait, of ever calling his own mother Mum, although she'd died when he was only he was only about twenty-five months old, so he didn't have all that many memories of her to begin with.

"And I don't know if you've met them yet," Seti said, "but this is Nefertari's brother Justinian and his husband Theron."

"If memory serves, I met Justinian once at his father's funeral, but I think I was only eight at the time and due to the nature of the meeting we didn't talk much."

"Indeed, Edward, you are correct," Justinian said, as he shook hands with Edward. "I believe our conversation was limited to basic pleasantries and you giving me your condolences on my father's passing. Not exactly the time or place to have long conversations though."

"Aunt Theodora was pregnant with Nikephoros at that time, wasn't she?" Ramesses asked.

Justinian nodded. "Yes, Nikephoros was born in the purple three months later. Father's death was unexpected so when Theodora told me she was pregnant, neither of us thought that Nikephoros would be born in the purple."

Edward was thankful at this point that this was a topic that his tutors had covered when he was younger and thus he knew what Justinian was talking about. In the Byzantine Imperial Palace in Constantinople there was a special room called the Porphyry Chamber or Purple Chamber which had purple marble walls and a bed covered in imperial purple silk, where only the children of the reigning Basileus were allowed to be born. Such children became known as porphyrogennetos or born in the purple, which granted them a large amount of prestige and precedence in the succession. Children who were born before their father became Basileus or who were not born in the Purple Chamber had less prestige and could not inherit before a born in the purple child.

Justinian himself was a prime example of this, as he was the third-born son of his late father, Basileus Valentinian IV Caesar, but he was the first son born in the purple after his father became Basileus. So, Justinian's elder brothers, Phillipikos and Theodosius—who were not born in the purple because they were born during their grandfather's reign—immediately became second and third in the succession upon Justinian's birth, even though they were older, with Justinian himself being first in line to the throne. Justinian's own third-born son Nikephoros, now sixteen, ended up in the same position as his father, since his grandfather died three months before he was born. So since Justinian had been the reigning Basileus upon the birth of his third son, he was born in the purple and thus displaced his elder brothers, twenty-two-year-old Valentinian and twenty-year-old Romanos in the succession.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you again under better circumstances, Justinian. And it's very nice to meet you as well, Theron," Edward said, as he shook hands with both men, before asking Justinian, "And where's your wife?"

"Catching up with her brother Tsar Nicolas, I believe," Justinian answered. "They haven't had a chance to talk for a few months, so she figured it was time to remedy that."

"So what about Neferkamin?" Seti asked, since nobody had answered the question he'd asked as he approached the group. He'd heard them say Neferkamin's name, but hadn't heard any context beyond that. Of course, he knew that his doing introductions was the reason that nobody had answered his question so he wasn't particularly upset about the oversight.

"We were just commenting that he seems to really be enjoying the company of Regulus Black and Kolin Mikaels," Edward answered, as he motioned towards where they could be seen talking. Although actually, they were now dancing, which looked a little odd, since there were three of them, but they were doing it quite effortlessly.

"Yes, we were speculating on whether or not Kamin might be getting out of his belt in the near future," Djoser added.

"Hmm," Seti said. "Nobility?"

"Kolin, no," Ramesses answered. "Regulus, however, yes. He's the younger brother of Lord Sirius Black, the Marquis of Charlton, and currently his heir since Sirius doesn't have any children, male or otherwise. Regulus and Kolin are dating, but we weren't sure if you'd be in favor of Neferkamin being with them or not, since Kolin isn't nobility."

Before Seti could say anything, Edward said, "Well, Kolin isn't nobility, although he is a member of a well-respected Swedish family. Although he has been disowned due to his decision to move here to Albion and not go into the family business."

"Wait… Mikaels… Sweden," Theron said. "Aren't they the ones who make magical restraining collars for most of the prisons in the wizarding world?"

"Yes, that's them," Edward confirmed. "The process used to make them can essentially render a person a squib after several years of making them, so Kolin decided that wasn't the life he wanted and moved here. That and he thought he'd have better prospects for finding a boyfriend here than back home in his relatively small home village. His family, well, they weren't happy and made it clear that he wouldn't be welcome if he ever came back."

Justinian shook his head, a clearly disgusted look on his face, as he said, "That's vile and repugnant that any family would disown their child. I don't think I could ever do that to any of my children, regardless of what they did. I may have to severely punish them if they committed a serious crime, but I would never disown them."

Seti nodded his head. "Indeed. Children are a gift that I've been blessed with more than anyone here," there were several grins at this, most obviously from Ramesses and Djoser, "and I would never disown one of them. As Justinian said, punish for any crime committed, yes, at which point the fact that they're my child would not get them a lighter punishment than anyone else would get for the same crime. Disowning them, however, is something I would never do."

After a moment of silence, Seti added, "As for Neferkamin, I want royal or noble matches for my legitimate children and Regulus fulfills that requirement, so I'd have no problem with him getting involved with this Kolin boy if he's a package deal with Regulus."

Looking over at the three men dancing, Theron said, "They do look nice together, although I have to say that Kolin does look a little young for both of them. Honestly, he looks almost like he could be their son."

"Kolin is nineteen, almost twenty," Edward said. "So he is currently only two years older that Regulus's son Asterion, but he's still a legal adult and the age of sexual consent in Albion is fourteen, so I'd say whatever Kolin wants to do in the bedroom and who he wants to do it with is his own business and nobody else's."

"Indeed I'd have to agree with that," Seti said, as he spotted Djedkare and Nerikare dancing with Chandler and Schuyler. "Hmm, looks like Neferkamin isn't the only one enjoying themselves this evening. Anyone know who those blond twins are that Djedkare and Nerikare are dancing with?"

"Chandler and Schuyler Delrossi," Justinian answered after he'd gotten a look at them. "They're the nephews of Lord Rafael Delrossi, the Exarchos of Southern Italia. His late younger brother Cristiano's sons."

"Well, that would work, should things develop between them," Seti said. Then after a moment, he smiled and opened a hidden pocket in his vest, from which he pulled out a large keyring with dozens of small keys attached to it. Flipping through them, he finally took one key off and held it out to Edward. "I believe you're going to want this this evening, Edward."

Edward grinned as he took the key. "Is this what I think it is?"

"If you think it's the key to my son's virginity then you're correct," Seti said. "I figured as soon as I gave it to you, Ramesses would want to leave the reception. So, I intentionally waited until after dinner and dessert had been served."

Ramesses blushed, as Edward pulled a gold chain he'd worn around his neck for specifically this reason out of his collar and attached the key to it. Djoser, meanwhile, grinned and said, "If you're handing out keys, I'll gladly take mine."

"And I'll be happy to give it to you, Djoser," Seti said as he made a show of flipping through the keys, causing Djoser's eyes to widen, before they deflated when Seti put the ring away and added, "once you're married."

Francis patted Djoser on the shoulder. "You didn't honestly think that would work, did you, Josh?"

"Not really, but I figured it was worth a shot," Djoser said, as he looked around the room and said, "Well, I guess I should go mingle. See if I can scare myself up some nice, noble young man who wouldn't be adverse to marriage in a year or less. Because I swear if I have to wear this thing as long as Jedrik or Kamin have worn theirs', I'll go totally insane."

Seti laughed as Djoser moved away from the group, clearly on the prowl for a date. It was the main reason he'd brought Djoser with him to the wedding, along with a few of his other single, gay sons. He'd made the offer to all of them, although only Djoser, Neferkamin, Djedkare, Nerikare, Nikare, Menkare, and Khafre accepted. Thutmose really wanted to come too, but living god or not, Seti wasn't going to ignore the advice of the imperial healers when it came to his children's health.

Khufu hadn't really to find a girlfriend but more as the Crown Prince, although Seti had a feeling that Khufu would not be averse to finding a girlfriend if he could. He just wished that Khafre would stop being so obstinate about entering into a foreign marriage, as it would go a long way in securing Khufu's claim on the throne if his identical twin brother who was only one minute younger than him was safely away in another country, having married into another royal family and relinquished his claim on the Egyptian throne.

"I understand about the belts being tradition," Justinian said, "although I have to agree with my sister that sometimes they seem very much like a torture device."

"Thank you," Nefertari said with a smile to her brother. "I've only been telling Seti that for the last twenty plus years, but of course he never listens."

Seti just shook his head. "I'll change the centuries old tradition of the chastity belt and distribute the keys to all of my single children, Justinian, just as soon as you do away with the tradition of the Porphyry Chamber and turn over the crown to Phillipikos."

Justinian shook his head. "Yeah, that's not happening." Shrugging at his sister, he gave her an apologetic smile, before he said, "Sorry, sis, I tried, but you know I'm not going to do away with the tradition of the purple born."

"I know," Nefertari stated with a sigh. "Nor would I want you to, considering that the marriage agreement that Seti's and my marriage fulfilled calls specifically for a purple born daughter of Byzantium. So, if you do away with the Porphyry Chamber and retroactively destroy that status by turning the crown over to Phillipikos, that would render Seti's and my marriage null and void and make all our children illegitimate."

"Yes, please don't do that," Edward said. "I've grown rather fond of Ramesses and I've made him my co-ruler, but if he was illegitimate, Albion law would forbid us to remain married. And I'm afraid that's one of the laws that King Arthur and Merlin made magically permanent and binding, so even I can't change it."

"You needn't worry, Edward," Justinian said. "Now, I can tell from the look on my nephew's face that he really wants to get out of here, so I'd suggest that you take him and go someplace a lot more private."

Edward and Ramesses both blushed at this and Edward found himself very thankful that the bedding ceremony that had once been practiced in Albion had fallen into disfavor three or four centuries ago. He wasn't sure that he'd ever be able to stop blushing if his nobles had carried him and Ramesses to bed, undressing them on the way and then put them completely naked into bed together, only to then close the bed curtains and stand in the room waiting for the telltale sounds of the marriage being consummated.

"That sounds like a great idea, Uncle," Ramesses said, as he recovered his voice first. Holding out his arm to Edward, he asked, "Shall we?"

Taking Ramesses arm, Edward said, "We shall."

The two of them said their goodbyes to Francis, Justinian, Theron, Seti, and Nefertari, before heading towards the main doors to the ballroom. Pausing on the dais before the doors, Edward nodded to the majordomo who struck his staff on the floor three times to get everyone's attention.

Taking his wand out and placing it against his throat, Edward said, "Once again, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for attending today to help Ramesses and I celebrate our union. We are now going to retire for the evening," he ignored the few people who were brave enough to wolf whistle or cat call at that announcement, "but the bar and kitchens will remain open for three more hours, so feel free to stay and continue to enjoy the party until then. Now, I bid you all goodnight."

-o-0-o-

Twenty minutes later, Edward and Ramesses walked into the royal bedchambers and within seconds of Edward closing the door, Ramesses was undressing as fast as he could possibly do so without ripping the fancy royal uniform that he was wearing. Edward was honestly a little surprised that Ramesses even cared to be that careful, since once an article was off it was just thrown unceremoniously on the floor. Still it was kind of fun to watch and Edward felt himself getting hard. He just wished it lasted longer than it did because even being careful not to rip anything, in less than three minutes, Ramesses was standing there completely naked, with the obvious exception of his chastity belt.

Turning around and looking at Edward, Ramesses then said, "Well? Don't just stand there."

Smiling, Edward said, "Sorry, Ram, but I was enjoying the show. And eager much?"

"I haven't even seen my penis since I was ten. So what do you think?"

"Okay, I'll give you that much," Edward said, as he unbuckled the sword belt that Excalibur was in. "Lay down on the bed and I'll be back in a moment. I have to put Excalibur in the vault, I'll only be a minute."

Ramesses nodded and laid down on the large bed, as Edward walked into the attached dressing room and opened the hidden passage which led to the small vault where a collection of the crown jewels were kept for the King or his consort to wear to various functions. Of course, it also housed a block of marble with an anvil resting on top of it, which is where Excalibur was stored when the King wasn't wearing it in its sheath. So removing the ancient sword from the black dragonhide sheath, which he hung nearby on its hook, Edward grabbed the hilt in both hands and pushed Excalibur down into the anvil, burying the blade to the hilt. Thus, if a thief ever did get into the vault, they'd never be able to steal the ancient sword since they'd have to take it out of the anvil first and nobody but the reigning monarch could do that.

With the sword safely stowed away, Edward left the vault, closed the hidden passage and made his way back into the bedroom. Ramesses was lying on the bed, his legs spread apart and his upper body lying against the numerous pillows, with one of his arms bent so that his forearm was resting on the top of his head. That and the look on Ramesses's face made Edward lick his lips, as he began unbuttoning his uniform jacket. Once his jacket was off, Edward kicked off his shoes even as he was unbuttoning the shimmering white silk shirt he'd been wearing under the jacket.

Unbuttoning his trousers he pushed them down, at which point Ramesses raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are those muggle underwear?"

Edward nodded. "Yes. I know many of my nobles and other subjects might think it was wrong for me to wear anything made by muggles, but I've always found them a bit more comfortable than what's made here in the wizarding world. I didn't wear them while I was in Egypt, but now that I'm here in my own home I figured that if I had to wear that uncomfortable state uniform that I could at least wear comfortable underwear."

"Okay," Ramesses said after a moment. "Speaking of underwear, just warning you now that I may have to steal a few pairs of yours until I can buy some of my own. Having worn this chastity belt since I was ten, I haven't bought any underwear in in about a decade because I'm already wearing underwear made of bronze and basilisk hide, it seemed unnecessary. So I don't actually own any at the moment, and I'm sure that the pairs I did have when I was ten don't fit anymore."

Edward grinned, as he let his trousers slide down his legs, before stepping out of them and toeing off his socks. "Yes, I should imagine not. Anyway, my clothes are your clothes. Feel free to raid my closet anytime you want."

"Thanks," Ramesses said, prompting Edward to nod as he removed his white silk shirt so that the only things he was wearing were his black and white striped James Tudor boxer briefs and the golden chain with the key to Ramesses's belt hanging from it.

Moving over to the bed, Edward moved so that he was kneeling between Ramesses's legs, he leaned down for a kiss before he said, "Well, let's get you out of this thing, shall we?"

"Yes, please!"

Edward smiled before he moved backward on his knees a bit and then leaning over Ramesses's midsection, he took the key in one hand and inserted it into one of the padlocks. After a minute, he looked up and said, "It went in but it won't turn."

"What?"

"The key won't turn," Edward said, as he tried again to turn the key. No matter which direction he tried, however, the key would not budge.

"You're not just trying to make a joke are you? Because it's really not funny."

"I wouldn't joke about something like that, Ram," Edward said with a shake of his head. "I'm dead serious."

"Let me see that key," Ramesses said, prompting Edward to pull the key back out of the padlock, at which point Ramesses grabbed it, pulling Edward forward slightly as he did so since the key was still on the golden chain that was still around Edward's neck. Looking at the key, Ramesses exclaimed, "Oh sweet Bastet! Why Gods why?!"

"What's wrong?"

"This isn't the key to my belt," Ramesses said. "It's the key to T.J.'s belt."

"T.J.? You mean your half-brother Thutmose that you mentioned earlier?"

Ramesses nodded. "Yes." With a sigh, he said to nobody in particular, "Damn it, Father, I know you're a living god, but suck up your damn pride and admit that you need glasses!"

"Seti's eyesight is failing, I take it?"

"Yes, it's been getting worse for years now. He wears reading glasses when he's alone and doesn't think anyone else will see it, but it's gotten to the point now that he's beyond needing reading glasses and needs them all the time. He just won't admit it because he thinks it'll make him look weak in the eyes of his subjects since he is a living god and he thinks gods shouldn't need to wear glasses because they're perfect and thus shouldn't have any defects in their sight."

"Well, from what I understand of the concept of Egyptian living gods, isn't it the belief that he won't ascend to full godhood until he dies? Thus explaining how he can die to begin with?"

"Yes that's how it's supposed to work," Ramesses answered. "So, really, he doesn't have any excuse not to wear glasses except for his pride. I doubt any of his subjects would hold it against him, because he's the Pharaoh and we're all taught practically from birth to revere the Pharaoh no matter what they do. He's not supposed to be a perfect immortal deity until he dies and ascends, but he's too prideful to see that no matter how many times I, my mother, my siblings, my stepmothers, and my half-siblings tell him to suck it up and go to the eye healer for prescription glasses. We keep telling him that it's entirely possible that if he'd just go and get his eyes checked the healer might even be able to fix the problem, but the longer he puts it off and thus continues to strain his eyes, the less likely that becomes."

"True, magic can't cure everything," Edward said. After a moment, he sighed and removing the chain from around his neck, he added, "I'm glad I didn't get completely undressed. You mind a house-elf seeing you as you currently are?"

Shaking his head, Ramesses said, "No, that's fine. It's not like I'm actually naked until this thing is taken off."

With a nod, Edward called out, "Thane!"

A moment later there was a pop as a relatively young looking elf appeared and asked, "You called, Your Majesty?"

Handing the golden chain with the key on it to the elf, he said, "Yes, please take this to Ramesses's mother, Princess-Consort Nefertari Ptolemy, and tell her that Pharaoh Seti gave me the wrong key."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Thane said with a bow, before popping out of the room.

"I didn't hear that much just now, but it sounded like your elf had a much better grasp of English than that of most house-elves I've heard."

"Yeah, the royal house-elves are trained to speak in perfect English," Edward said. "They're also taught how to speak in several other languages. Not enough to be considered fluent, but enough that they can at least understand the basics of what most foreign speakers are saying and if they need to talk to them ask if they speak English."

Ramesses nodded, but otherwise said nothing, prompting Edward to grin and said, "Well, it might take a moment for Thane to get back, so while we're waiting we might as well make good use of our time."

Leaning down, Edward captured Ramesses's lips in a kiss, which was quickly returned. Neither of them were in love with each other at the moment, but a kiss was a kiss and there was no reason that you had to be in love with someone to enjoy kissing them. Yes, it could be argued that it might be better with someone you loved, but that didn't mean that you should totally refrain from doing it until you found that special someone and actually fell in love.

Roughly five minutes later, Edward was kissing Ramesses's neck when a pop signaled that Thane had returned. Moving away from Ramesses, Edward gave the elf his attention, noticing that he was holding out the chain.

"Here's the correct key, Your Majesty," Thane said. "Princess Nefertari had some very choice words to say when I told her the problem. I'll spare your ears by not repeating them, sir. Anyway, she pulled Seti into one of the private alcoves and grabbed his keyring from him and found the correct key herself. She kept Prince Thutmose's key, however."

"She did? Did she say why?" Ramesses asked.

Thane nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. She told Pharaoh Seti that she was keeping Prince Thutmose's key until he went to the eye healer for an exam and that if he didn't do it within two weeks, she'd give Thutmose his key. He didn't look very happy with being given an ultimatum, but his other wives came in at that point, having seen Princess Nefertari talking to me and then her taking him into the alcove. They could guess what happened and Queen Meritites basically told him to suck it up and get his eyes checked or living god or not she'd hex him into the next millennium."

Ramesses's eyes widened at that as Thane added, "I could be wrong, but I think the fact that the Queen and the Princess-Consorts were all pointing their wands at him and looking very dangerous as she said it is what got him to agree to their point of view."

Edward laughed as he took the chain from Thane and said, "Well, I guess that's one problem with having multiple spouses. They can gang up on you."

"Still want more than one?" Ramesses asked.

"For better or worse, yes," Edward said. "I want to build the royal family back up so that there's multiple people other than me, you, or Tristan who can undertake royal duties on my behalf and I don't want to wait until we start having kids and they're grown up enough to do that because that will take years."

Ramesses nodded before he turned back to Thane and said, "I'm surprised the Medjai allowed that confrontation to happen. Usually they wouldn't allow anyone to threaten the Pharaoh, including his wives."

Thane nodded. "Yes some of them did move in to intercede but the Lord Commander waved them off and told the Pharaoh that in this case, he and the Medjai were siding with the Queen and the Princesses. Emboldened by the fact that the Medjai were standing with them, the Queen then said that she'd give Prince Thutmose his key in two weeks' time and then start handing out an additional key every day until the end of the month. And if he still hadn't gone to the healer, then she'd put the Pharaoh in a chastity belt. The Lord Commander said he'd order the Medjai to hold him down if it came to that."

"Oh sweet Morgana, that's essentially a coup d'état," Edward said, suddenly quite a bit more impressed with his new mother-in-law and step-mothers-in-law than he had been previously. He also made a mental note to never get on their bad side. "How did Seti react?"

"He swore a magical oath to make an appointment with the eye healer first thing tomorrow morning," Thane answered. "The Lord Commander than assured the Queen and the Princesses that they'd make sure the Pharaoh actually want to his appointment even if they had to put him in a full body bind and carry him there. Seti accused them of being disloyal, but the Commander disputed that charge, saying that he and the Medjai are charged with protecting the Pharaoh from any and all threats, including those that are a direct result of the Pharaoh's own stupidity and stubbornness."

After both he and Ramesses had finished laughing, Edward said, "Thank you, Thane. You can go. Make sure that Ramesses and I aren't disturbed for the rest of the night. But tell the elves in the kitchen that we're going to want breakfast in bed tomorrow morning." After a moment he said, "On second thought, better make it brunch actually at around ten, because we'll probably be sleeping in."

Thane nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty," before popping out of the room.

Holding out the key to Ramesses, Edward asked, "This is the right one, right?"

Taking a moment to inspect it, Ramesses sighed in relief as he nodded and said, "Yes, it is. Each key has our initials on them in hieroglyphics, along with our birthdays. While Thutmose and I don't have all the same initials, we do have the same second initial. And without his reading glasses, I guess it could be possible to get the symbol for T mixed up with the one for R, although I don't for the life of me know how he could get the rest mixed up, unless he only looked at the first two hieroglyphs."

Edward nodded as he took the key and placed it in one of the padlocks. Taking a deep breath before attempting to turn it, he then grinned and said, "And it turns."

"Oh thank Osiris!"

Turning the body of the padlock away from the now disengaged shackle and removing it from the small bronze rings that connected to the various straps on the belt, Edward removed the key from the first padlock and put it into the second.

Within moments, all four locks were off and Ramesses was pulling the suspender-like straps that went over his shoulders over his head and then lifting up his midsection he asked, "You mind pulling this thing off for me?"

Edward grinned and said, "Sure, no problem," as he grabbed the basilisk hide straps that had until moments ago wrapped around Ramesses's legs and used them to pull the main section of the belt down, since he knew that due to the bronze underlining, he'd never be able to get his fingers between the waistband and Ramesses's body without digging his fingers into Ramesses's body and he figured that would be uncomfortable. It took a moment of pulling, but then the main section of the belt began sliding down Ramesses's legs.

Lowering his midsection back down to the bed, Ramesses bent his legs at the knee once Edward had pulled it down past his knees so that he wouldn't have to move practically to the end of the bed in order to get them past his feet. A moment later it was off and Edward grinned as he held it over the side of the bed and dropped it. It produced a dull thud as it hit the floor.

Ramesses, meanwhile, was silent as he looked down at his penis, which he literally hadn't seen since the morning of his tenth birthday. Despite the fact that it been trapped inside a bronze cup for the past several years, it had definitely grown since he'd seen it last. The skin of both it and the area around it was several shades lighter than the rest of his skin, but that was to be expected since the areas covered by the belt hadn't gotten any sunlight in several years. Feeling a little self-conscious, Ramesses asked, "So, do you like it?"

"It's perfect," Edward said with a grin, as he cupped it in his hands, before leaning down and kissing Ramesses on the lips. "Perfect just like the rest of you."

Ramesses blushed at this. "Careful, you're going to inflate my ego."

"Your ego isn't what I was hoping to inflate," Edward said, "although I can feel that that is not going to be a problem."

"Definitely not," Ramesses said as he felt himself hardening. "Anyway, I was thoroughly bathed before being put into it and I mean thoroughly, including up the arse. The charms on the belt vanished all waste products whether liquid or solid, so I should be perfectly clean inside if you want to take me that way."

"Oh I think I definitely want to do that," Edward said. "I'll want you to do the same to me at some point, but not tonight I don't think."

"That's fine," Ramesses said. "And don't worry about trying to make this seem like lovemaking or trying to make my first time special or anything. We're not in love so we can't really make love. Anyway, we're married and we're soulmates, so we literally have the rest of our lives to have that special, lovemaking style of sex. Right now I just want you inside of me and I want you to fuck me, hard."

Edward grinned. "I do like the way you think, Ram, and in this your wish is my command."

Moving so that his legs were resting on Edward's shoulders, Ramesses moved his ass a bit, before he blushed and said, "Oh, um, one more thing I forgot about."

"What's that?"

Ramesses closed his eyes briefly and said, "The charm to determine my sexual preference was used on me before the belt was put on and since it determined that I'm a six on the Kinsey Scale, the healers inserted a plug in my arse so that I'd be ready to be taken on my wedding night."

Edward raised both eyebrows at this, obviously surprised, as he asked, "You mean you've been walking around for years now with a butt plug in your arse? How did you even walk straight?"

Ramesses blushed and said, "Yes. Honestly, it's been there so long that I've pretty much gotten used to it and forgotten it was even there until just now. As for walking, after a few weeks to a month you get so used to it that it doesn't even phase you anymore. Some of my younger siblings, however, especially the ones who've just been put into their belts, well, it's much more noticeable."

Edward shook his head, as he moved back slightly and then saw the base of the plug, a bronze ring for ease of removal attached to the end of it. "I'll say this for the imperial healers, they're certainly very thorough."

"You can't even begin to know the half of it. Trust me."

"Oh I do, I definitely do," Edward said as he put his finger into the ring and slowly pulled the plug out of his husband's arse, surprised not only at the width of it, as it was probably a good three to four inches wide, but also about ten inches long. "How in the hell did they insert this into a ten year old?"

"It wasn't anywhere near that big when it was put in," Ramesses revealed. "There's charms on it to make it grow, slowly, along with the person wearing it. And yes, I know, it's kind of creepy and almost pedophiliac in a way, but as I said, they wanted to make sure that I'd be ready for my future husband to take as soon as the belt was off. Of course, it was probably misleading earlier when I brought up the orientation charm, because in truth, it's actually not just my brothers who had it put in."

"You mean they put it in the straight ones too?" Edward asked, totally missing that Ramesses had only said brothers and that he hadn't specified his gay brothers.

"Yeah and my sisters, as well," Ramesses answered. "Of course, I think most of the charms that deal with vanishing solid waste products are actually on the plug rather than the belt. So, it does serve a purpose either way. Although the one that's inserted into my straight brothers and my sisters, isn't charmed to grow quite so much, as it's not believed that they'll need to be prepared for anal penetration. Anyway what do you expect from the imperial healers? We're talking about people who at one time used a long hook to remove the brains of a dead person through their nose in order to prepare them for mummification. They've got literally millennia's worth of experience and training in doing things that most people would never even consider."

"So now that this is out you're going to have to start using the bathroom again?"

"Yes but I'm so not going to complain about that," Ramesses said. "Anyway, I was told when it was put in that the charms on the plug and the belt would last for about twenty-four hours after their removal. After that, we'll need to use the standard pre-sex cleaning charms. Oh and until the charms wear off in twenty-four hours, the lubrication charm isn't necessarily either."

Edward shook his head. "Okay I think just calling them thorough is now an understatement. It seems to me that sadistically thorough is a much better description."

"Uh, huh," Ramesses agreed, before Edward shook his head and moved a bit closer to Ramesses's arse. It was then that he actually realized that he'd never removed his underwear, but he didn't feel like asking Ramesses to move his legs off his shoulders so that he could do that so he just unbuttoned the button fly of his boxer-briefs and pulled out his cock, which was maybe half-an-inch shorter than Ramesses's was, but still nothing to be ashamed of, at least not as far as Edward himself was concerned.

Placing his cock at the opening of Ramesses's arse, Edward took a deep breath. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous because while it was true that he'd known that he was gay since he was a very young man, having realized it a couple of years before he was kidnapped and locked up at Nurmengard, he was still a virgin. He'd read about sex between two men, so he knew how it was done, but there was a pretty large difference between reading about something and actually doing it. Pushing down on his nerves, Edward pushed forward slowly, as the head of his cock pushed into his husband.

He immediately noticed that Ramesses was right about not needing a lubrication charm, as the insides of his arse were quite slick and Edward found himself going in a lot easier than he'd expected. Of course, his cock wasn't as long or as wide as the plug that had until moments ago been inside Ramesses for nearly a decade. For his part, Ramesses had closed his eyes when he felt Edward entering him and he'd grunted slightly when Edward first entered him, but he couldn't say that he'd felt any real pain. Then again that was probably due to a combination of the lubrication charm and the plug preparing him. He suddenly realized that maybe the imperial healers knew what they were doing after all and weren't, as Ramesses and several of his siblings had previously thought, doing it only for the express purpose of being sadistically thorough.

After a moment, Edward's entire length was buried inside of Ramesses's arse and he couldn't help but grin, as he thought, _'Yeah, this is definitely something I'm going to want to do as much as possible.'_

Opening his eyes and looking at Edward, Ramesses saw the grin and asked, "What are you grinning about?"

"I was just thinking that I like how this feels," Edward said. "And it's probably a good thing that I'm going to be taking multiple husbands because it'll give your arse some rest or I'm afraid that I'd want to do this often enough that you'd have trouble walking."

"I just spent nearly the last ten years with a plug in my arse. If that didn't affect my ability to walk, I can't imagine you wanting to do this to me enough that your cock would. Of course, you haven't moved yet, so I suppose once you do that might change things up a bit. Plus, as I said earlier, I'm going to want to do this to you at some point."

Edward nodded. "Yes and I'll be ready when the time comes for that, but not tonight."

"That's fine," Ramesses said. "Now are you going to just sit there or are you actually going to you know, fuck me. Just putting your cock in is only half of the act."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what the law is in regards to consummation of same-sex marriages," Edward said. "Seeing as how they weren't legal until I legalized them just before our marriage, but the fact that I'm inside of you is probably enough to satisfy the law."

"The law, maybe, but not either one of us. And are you sure that same-sex marriage wasn't legal here before you legalized it, because Arthur and Merlin were married, weren't they? And they're both men, last time I checked."

Before he said anything in response to the point that Ramesses had raised, Edward moved his hips backwards until only the head of his cock remained inside, before thrusting his hips forward much faster than he had going in. As a sensation of pleasure shot up his cock, Edward closed his eyes for a moment. _'That definitely feels good,'_ he thought.

"Oh yes," Ramesses said, with a bit of a moan in his voice. "I definitely liked that."

Edward grinned as he opened his eyes to look at Ramesses. "Well, that's good. Anyway, as to your point about Arthur and Merlin, as near as I can tell it was legal when they got married. But at some point between then and now it was made illegal until I changed it. Not sure when and I figured I had more important things to do than to go over a thousand years' worth of scrolls detailing all the various laws of the realm. I could have assigned that task to someone, but I figured that'd be cruel and unusual punishment."

"Probably," Ramesses agreed, as Edward thrust into him a second time. "Anyway, enough talking for the time being." Pausing as he wrapped his hand around his cock, he said, "Now fuck me, Edward. Hard and fast."

Edward smiled. "Can do," as he did just that. The room was soon full of the sounds of moaning and the sound of skin slapping against skin. Eventually, he hoped that a time would come where he and Ramesses could do this slowly and sensually and actually be in love while doing it, but he was sure they'd have fun doing it until that time came.

About half an hour later, they were both spent and Edward collapsed on top of Ramesses, his cock slipping out in the process. Kissing him on the side of the cheek, Edward said, "That was great and I definitely want to do it again, but right now all I want to do is sleep."

"Yes, sleep sounds good. Come morning, however, well I wouldn't object to another round."

"I like the way you think."

Nothing more was said at that point as Edward cast a quick cleaning charm on the both of them, before they settled down under the silken covers of the bed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

-o-0-o-

The End.

And there you have the third one-shot of 'Along the Journey'. This will be the last update to 'Along the Journey' for this cycle as I now turn my attention to the main story 'The Journey Begins' for one chapter. Yes, only one chapter this cycle, since there were two in universe updates to 'Along the Journey.' Still, they were fairly substantial updates, totaling over 20,000 words between them and the main chapter update will very likely be another 10,000+ words. So 30,000+ words per cycle isn't too bad, I don't think. After the update to the main story, I'll be switching my focus over to my Mass Effect/Star Trek crossover 'The Q Effect' for 3 chapters, before returning to the HP fandom for 3-5 chapters of 'A Windsor at Hogwarts' (or 'A Royal at Hogwarts' for those who read it on FFNet).

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to contact me in a review, by email, my Yahoo group, or on Twitter JVascardi.


	5. The Secrets of Albus Dumbledore

Unexpected Love: Along the Journey  
Written by J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. I'm not profiting on this story and it is not my intent to infringe on anyone's copyright or trademark. The only things about this story that I own are the characters and storylines not featured in the books.

Summary: Albus Dumbledore reacts to Sybill Trelawney's prophecy about Harry and the Dark Lord and sets more plans into motion, as some very disturbing facts come to light…

Warnings: Evil Dumbledore, Manipulative Dumbledore

Pairings: James Potter/Lily Potter

-o-0-o-

One-Shot #4:

The Secrets of Albus Dumbledore

-o-0-o-

Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, sat behind the desk in his office, his elbows resting on the desktop and his fingertips steepled in front of his face as he thought about the events of the previous evening. He'd honestly had every intention of discontinuing the Divination classes at Hogwarts, as he felt the subject was a useless endeavor.

This feeling only got stronger as he interviewed Sybill Trelawney for the post. The only reason that he'd even agreed to the meeting at all was because he knew that Sybill's distant ancestor Cassandra Trelawney was a noted seer and many of the predictions she'd made did come true. Nevermind Albus's personal belief that that was more due to luck and coincidence then any true skill on Cassandra's part.

He was only moments away from ending the meeting and telling Sybill that her services would not be required when her eyes glazed over and she began talking in a voice very different from her own. _**"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"**_

It was at this point that Albus heard movement outside the door and his brother, Aberforth shouting, _"You, what are you doing up here? You're not a paying customer. Get out of my inn, you bloody eavesdropper!"_ Albus could hear a brief scuffle, before hearing Aberforth's voice again—quieter this time suggesting he'd moved further down the hall or possibly even downstairs— _"And if you're going to sneak around my inn and not buy anything, you'll stay out if you know what's good for you!"_

Due to his attention being diverted by the scuffle at the door, Albus hadn't caught everything that Sybill had said, but that was easily remedied upon his return to Hogwarts, where he placed the memory in his pensieve and watched it again, blocking out the scuffle and focusing instead on Sybill. He was still somewhat surprised that he'd hired the woman after she'd finished giving the prophecy that she didn't even remember giving.

He was unsure who the eavesdropper had been and he hadn't bothered asking Aberforth for a description. They hadn't been on the best terms since Ariana died and spoke to each other as little as possible. Still, if there was a chance that it was one of Voldemort's minions and they passed that information on to the Dark Lord, then there was perhaps a chance that he'd act rashly to eliminate the alleged threat. And if there was one thing that Albus had learned over the course of his long life, it was that rash actions by your enemy were an opportunity.

Of course, if he was being perfectly honest, he didn't have a problem, per se, with anything that Voldemort had done. The near complete wiping out of the Pendragon royal family eight years ago, for example, had been a rather inspired move. Albus's only regret was that he hadn't thought of it first. Although, even if he had, he'd been playing the role of dedicated public servant and leader of the light for so many years that he knew he'd lose a lot of support that his long-term plans required if he was directly linked to the mass murder of Albion's royals.

He was, however, quite pleased with himself that the gamble he'd taken with the young Tom Riddle all those years ago had worked out so spectacularly. The boy was a genius and a magical prodigy—he could never hope to measure up to Albus himself, of course—but with some careful manipulation, he'd proven useful.

' _And he was quite good in bed,'_ Albus thought to himself with a small grin, as he thought back to the mid 1940's, when he'd created the persona of a non-existent daughter and attended Hogwarts for a second time in the guise of Katerina Dumbledore. Making sure he wasn't recognized and that he was sorted into Slytherin had taken a bit of doing, as the Sorting Hat's magic was annoyingly strong, but in the end, Albus's ironclad will had won out.

He'd then attached himself to the Riddle boy, becoming one of his closest friends and confidantes and eventually his girlfriend. _'It broke his poor little heart when he found out in his seventh year that his beloved Katerina had been lying to him for years… made him harden his heart and swear off love for the rest of his life.'_

It had been vital to Albus's plans that Tom Riddle never knew the power of love, as it was a powerful form of magic, especially under the right circumstances and with the right rituals. Far better for him to dismiss the entire concept of love and friendship, as it would seal him off from anyone who might interfere with the long-term plans and goals of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. And interference of any kind that could endanger those plans simply could not be allowed to flourish.

Feeling the advanced warning from the castle wards that the gargoyle guarding the steps to his office had moved, Albus unsteepled his fingers and carefully schooled his features into that of the kind and loving grandfather that he'd portrayed for so many years. A little wandless magic and his eyes began twinkling, as he'd found that added just the right amount of approachability to his persona. Very few people could resist him when they thought that he had nothing but their best interests at heart. Nobody needed to know that Albus's only care was for that of the greater good… the greater good of Albus Dumbledore, that is.

"Enter," Albus called out as he sensed that his visitor had reached the door to his office. Within moments the door opened to admit his former student, who had very recently become one of the most powerful noble lords in Albion, upon the death of his elderly father.

"Ah, Lord Potter, welcome, please have a seat."

"It's James, Albus," James Potter, the 174th Duke of Granston, said as he moved further into the office and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the headmaster's desk. "I may be a lord now, but you've earned my respect and friendship, so there's no need for titles between us."

Albus smiled. "Of course, James. Tea? Sherbet lemon?"

"No thank you. As much as I'd like to stay and catch up with you, I am in a bit of a hurry. Lily has a prenatal appointment with the family healer this afternoon and I promised I'd be there."

"Oh, of course, James, I would never dream of keeping you from your lovely wife. How is she? Well, I hope? And the baby?"

"Lily is quite well, Albus. I'd say pregnancy agrees with her as she's been almost glowing for weeks now. And as far as I know, at least according to the last prenatal checkup, the baby is also healthy and developing very well. All signs point to a happy and healthy male heir."

"A son? I wasn't aware that you'd found out the gender. Congratulations, my boy, I'm sure he'll be a credit to the noble House of Potter."

Even as he said this, Albus thought, _'Hmm, that batty old fool's prophecy did suggest that the child who would defeat Voldemort would be a boy… it's just a coincidence, however. Anybody with even a half-functioning brain knows that Divination is a worthless subject that only weak-minded fools take seriously. Still, I think this will fit in with my plans, yes indeed.'_

"Anyway, James, as you have places to be, I will not keep you any longer than absolutely necessary. The reason I asked you to come this morning actually concerns your unborn baby."

"What about him, Albus?"

"Well, I was interviewing a candidate for the position of Divination professor, yesterday evening," Albus answered. "A Ms. Sybill Trelawney, a direct descendant of noted and famed seer Cassandra Trelawney. I must admit to being quite impressed with her." _'Huh, what a laugh,'_ Albus paused to think, before continuing. "Especially after she delivered a prophecy regarding the fall of Lord Voldemort."

"You believe this prophecy to be real then, Albus?" James asked, as he sat up just a little bit straighter in his seat and gave Albus his undivided attention. "Honestly, I've never put much stock in Divination, myself."

"It may be real or it may not be, James. However, as she was delivering the prophecy I heard someone outside the door to Sybill's room. I don't know who this eavesdropper was and my brother Aberforth kicked them out before they'd heard the entire prophecy. But they'd heard enough that if they were a Death Eater, they have no doubt run to Voldemort to inform him of what was said."

"Which means it doesn't really matter if we believe that the prophecy was real or not," James said after a moment of thought. "For if Voldemort believes it, he may unintentionally put it into action by acting to eliminate a potential threat to his power."

"Yes, James, I'm afraid you are correct," Albus said. "Whether it was real or not, I doubt that Voldemort will suffer even the suggestion of somebody being able to defeat him. As I'm sure you're aware, he's gotten ever more insane and sadistic since his failure to kill the entire royal family and seize the crown. So between a lack of sanity and a fear that it might be true, I'd say that it's almost a certainty that he will act."

"What did the prophecy say, Albus?" James asked. "And how much of it did this eavesdropper hear?"

"' _ **The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…'"**_ Albus repeated. "That, I believe is all the mysterious eavesdropper heard, but it goes on from there. _**'… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal**_ _ **, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ...'"**_

James was silent for a moment and Albus noticed that he'd paled slightly as he listened to the prophecy. "Albus, Lily is due to give birth at the end of July and she and I have defied Voldemort three times." He paused here, before adding, "And I believe that Frank and Alice Longbottom are in the same boat."

Albus nodded. "Indeed, James, the prophecy would appear to be about your child. The Longbottom's child, if male, could also fit, however, if I know anything of Voldemort, I'd say that it's more likely that he would view your child as the greater threat. After all, your son will be a halfblood like Voldemort himself, while Frank's and Alice's child will be a pureblood. For all his espousing of pureblood ideals, I think we both know that Voldemort—not being a pureblood himself—doesn't really care about blood purity. It was just a convenient way of gathering followers to his cause."

James nodded, but remained silent for a few moments, before he said, "Well, then, I suppose Lily and I will have to lay low for a while. If we stay at Seacliff…"

"James, I know you believe the wards on your family's ancestral castle will be enough," Albus said, "But this is your son's life we're talking about. Can you really afford to take that risk? Seacliff is the first place that Voldemort would look for you."

"Albus, you know as well as I do who placed the wards around Seacliff," James said. "No, I'm absolutely sure that the wards at Seacliff will be more than up to the task."

"Merlin also placed the wards at Castle Camelot, James, and yet the entire royal family, save the young King Edward lie dead and moldering in the Pendragon family mausoleum. As powerful as those wards are supposed to be, they didn't keep Voldemort out eight years ago, what makes you think the ones at Seacliff will be any different?"

"You're forgetting, Albus, that King Charles, may he rest in peace, believed that every single one of his subjects should have access to him to air their grievances or express their concerns in person. And that he routinely opened the wards to allow all comers when he held court. A fact which Voldemort took advantage of." Shaking his head, James said, "No, Lily, our child, and I will be perfectly safe at Seacliff, Albus. Especially if I put the wards into lockdown mode. There's no way that Voldemort could ever hope to get past them then."

Albus knew that James wasn't going to budge. _'Foolish boy. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.'_

Pulling the golden pocket watch that his late father had gifted him the day he married Lily from his waistcoat pocket, James opened it and said, "I must be going now, Albus, if I'm to make it in time for Lily's appointment. Thank you, however, for the heads up about the prophecy. I do sincerely appreciate it."

Standing up and turning towards the door, James never saw it when Albus took out his wand, pointed it, and said, _**"Imperio!"**_

-o-0-o-

Despite the delay caused by the headmaster placing him under the Imperius Curse and feeding him orders, James made it to Lily's appointment only a minute or so late. If Lily noticed that her husband was acting a little off, she didn't say anything, as she was far too curious about the baby she was carrying. Once the family healer gave both her and the baby a clean bill of health, however, and she and James headed home, she could see that something wasn't right.

"James, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Lily, my love," James said. "But, we must start packing immediately."

"Packing? Whatever for?"

"We're moving."

"Moving? James, what are you talking about? Seacliff is our home. Why would we move?"

"Don't argue with me, Lily, we're moving today. As Lord Potter, I command it!"

The second those words left James's mouth, any suspicion that Lily had that something was amiss immediately stopped being mere suspicions. She knew that there was simply no way that James would ever command her to do anything. It simply wasn't in his character.

Being the smart witch that she was, she surmised that just about the only thing that would make James take complete leave of his senses and personality was that if he had been placed under the Imperius Curse. She didn't know just who would be fool enough to place such a curse upon the Lord High Chancellor of the Realm, but she wasn't going to stand for it.

Taking out her wand, she leveled it at James and said, _**"Petrificus Totalus!"**_ Once James was lying motionless and flat on his back, Lily performed a charm to check her husband for curses, but found nothing. Something was clearly wrong with him, however, so hoping that her strong magic might help, Lily called out, "Tilly!"

A moment later there was a pop as the head-elf of Seacliff Castle appeared in the room and asked, "You called for Tilly, Mistress Lily?" Before Lily could answer, she noticed James's prone form and asked, "What happened to Master James?"

"I petrified him, Tilly," Lily answered. "He wasn't acting himself and I have a feeling that he may have been placed under the Imperius Curse."

Tilly scrunched her nose at that, before she waved a hand over James's prone form and asked, "You were correct, ma'am. Shall I remove it?"

"Yes, please."

Tilly nodded and snapped her fingers in James's direction, not only removing the effects of the Imperius Curse, but also removing the effect of the petrification. James groaned, before he stood up, rubbing the back of his head as he did so as he'd knocked it rather hard on the floor when he fell over, as he said, "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Lils."

Turning his attention to Tilly, James said, "Thank you, Tilly. You can get back to your other duties now."

After Tilly popped out of the room, James held a finger over his lips, and gently placing his hand on Lily's forearm led her out of the Drawing Room and into the Master's Study. Once there, he walked over to the fireplace and placed his hand with the Potter family ring on it on the black stone in the fireplace mantle and said, "I, James Sebastian Potter, Duke of Granston and Lord of Seacliff Castle, do hereby put the Seacliff Master's Study on total lockdown."

"Do you have any idea just who put you under the Imperius?" Lily asked after the doors and windows all sealed and a visible sheen of magic appeared over the floor, walls, and ceiling of the room. She knew that the entire room was now impenetrable and that even the house-elves wouldn't be able to get in. Additionally, even the most powerful of spying charms would not be able to pierce the magic of the room until the lockdown was cancelled.

James nodded, a serious look on his face. "Albus. It had to be Albus."

"Albus Dumbledore? Why in Merlin's name would he do that?"

Relaying what the headmaster had told him about the prophecy, James said, "I had just gotten up to leave his office and come for your appointment, when I heard him cast the curse."

"You were saying that we had to move immediately," Lily stated. "If Albus is really afraid that this prophecy is about our son why would he want us to leave Seacliff?"

"He wants us to go to the cottage in Godric's Hollow."

"Your mother's old dower property? Whatever for? It's not even protected by Seacliff's wards, since it was built several centuries after Merlin died."

"He doesn't trust Merlin's wards, especially after what happened to the royal family," James revealed. "He thinks we'd be safer at the cottage. He said he'd ward the place himself, trusts that his wards would be better than Seacliff's, and that we should go into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. He also thinks that Seacliff is the first place that Voldemort would look for us and that that alone makes it the last place that we should be."

"Well, to a certain extent I can see where he's coming from," Lily said after a moment. "But I've seen Seacliff's ward stones and sensed the power radiating from them. I very much doubt that Albus has that much power in his entire body. He is, after all, only a Grand Sorcerer, while Merlin was an Archmagus. Anybody who knows anything about the fundamentals of magic knows who the more powerful of the two is."

"Indeed, Lily," James said, as he stroked his chin. "However, the more I think about it, the more I think that perhaps we should go along with his plan."

"Why?"

"Think about it, Lily. This is Albus Dumbledore we're talking about. He's supposed to be the Epitome of the Light, and yet he not only cast an Unforgivable Curse, but he cast it upon a Great Officer of State. That's high treason and I don't know about you, but that just doesn't strike me as something that the so-called Leader of the Light should be willing to do." Lily nodded, before James continued, "And you know as well as I do that Tilly's testimony that I was under the Imperius wouldn't be admissible in court and by now whatever residual trace of the spell might have existed after it was cast will have faded, especially after it was removed."

"So we have no way of proving that Albus did it."

"Indeed, we don't and without proof we can't bring charges against him. I may be the Lord High Chancellor and technically his boss in terms of the Wizengamot, but he's also the Supreme Mugwump and very well-liked by the populace of Albion, not to mention the rest of the Empire and beyond. They've bought what I'm starting to suspect was an act ever since he defeated Grindelwald. So I can't just dismiss him without proof or cause, as I would surely suffer a backlash from the public that we may never recover from."

Lily nodded. "So what do you suggest?"

"For now, we should let him think that I'm still under his control," James said. "And follow his plan to the letter. Meanwhile, we'll both be on the lookout for anything we can possibly use to prove that he's up to something."

"That's surely not going to be easy, James. If his whole persona is all an act he's literally had decades to perfect it and thus will surely be very good at hiding his tracks."

"Mwahahaha," James and Lily heard from behind them, spinning around and stared open-mouthed at Albus Dumbledore.

"How did you get in here?" James demanded.

"Oh honestly, James," Albus said. "It's obvious isn't it? I used the Apparition Chamber… I've only been in the guestbook since before your father was born."

"That explains how you got into the castle," Lily said. "But not this room. It's on…"

"Total lockdown?" Albus asked. "Amusing that you both have so much faith in Merlin's wards," he twirled his wand in his fingers at this, "when they're so easily breached with the right tool."

"I, James…"

"Oh I think not, James," Albus said as he leveled the Elder Wand on his former student and shouted, " _ **Imperio!**_ Now stand down you impudent whelp!"

"You'll regret that," Lily nearly growled as she pulled out her wand, as James back under the Imperius, stood glassy-eyed and still as he'd been ordered to.

"Go ahead, Lily, do your worst," Albus said, an amused lilt in his voice. "You won't beat me. You think I'm only a Grand Sorcerer, but that's only because that's what I want people to believe."

He paused for only a moment, before he waved his offhand and summoned an intricate staff of blackened wood, with a wickedly sharp silver anthame with a phoenix carved into the blade on one end and what appeared to be a human skull on the other with a pair of large sapphires mounted in its eye sockets.

"I am actually a Grand Mage," Albus revealed. "Although, I imagine you can see from the design of my staff why I keep that fact hidden from the public."

"Is that?" Lily began, but couldn't finish because she was too disgusted.

"A human skull?" Albus asked, correctly guessing what Lily's question would be. "Yes, Lily, it is a skull. My sister Ariana's to be precise. She ruined far too many of my early plans, so she had to go. Of course, I staged things so that it wasn't clear whether it was my brother Aberforth, Gellert Grindelwald, or myself who cast the fatal curse. But no matter my pretending not to know, I've always known that it was me."

"That's sick. You're sick."

"Oh, don't be so morally judgmental, Lily," Albus said, shaking his head. "In all honesty, I did Ariana a favor. She wouldn't have lived much longer anyway and I made sure that her death in that staged three-way duel was less painful than what her death would have been had I done nothing. You see, my sister was an Obscurial and at fourteen when she died, she was already living on borrowed time, as the hosts of an Obscurus rarely live past the age of ten and when they do die, the Obscurus tends to manifest one final time in a way that's believed to be about a hundred times more painful for the host than the Cruciatus."

"You claim that it was out of mercy that you killed your sister," Lily said. "But then you desecrated her body so that you could mount her skull on your mage's staff. So, forgive me if I don't believe that your intentions were entirely altruistic."

"Oh I never pretended that it was entirely altruistic. I'd figured out years earlier what Ariana had become following the attack upon her when she was six. The damn fool girl was stupid enough to be caught performing magic, accidental though it may have been, by a group of Muggle boys who insisted she do it again. When she couldn't they beat her and the psychological trauma of that made her afraid of her magic and she suppressed it. And thus her Obscurus was born.

"Of course, this totally ruined some of my early plans because my idiot father than retaliated against the boys and got locked in Azkaban for it. That made the Dumbledore name persona non-grata and added years to my plans, because my father's rash actions resulted in nobody trusting me or my family."

"It sounds like they had good cause not to trust you," Lily said.

Albus laughed. "Maybe, but it wasn't time for the masses to realize their mistake. I didn't have anywhere near enough power yet. Anyway, another reason that I mounted Ariana's skull on my staff is because before I cast the fatal curse that killed her, I cast a spell on her head which would trap the Obscurus inside of it and make sure that it didn't die when she did. So, while it may be the worst part of her, a part of my sister is still alive to this day as the core of my staff."

"I take back what I said earlier. You're not sick. You're insane! And a monster."

Albus threw back his head and cackled manically at this. After a moment, however, he said, "Anyway, Lily, you won't remember anything that I just told you. _**Obliviate! Imperio!**_ "

With both the Lord and Lady Potter under his control, Albus quickly set the plans he'd formulated into motion. They moved out of Seacliff that very day, because it just wouldn't do for them to stay. James was right in that Voldemort wouldn't be able to reach them there. Albus himself could breach the wards without alerting James because the combination of the Elder Wand and his Obscurus-core staff more than made up for the difference in power between himself and the wards' creator, Merlin.

It was with James under the Imperius that Albus got him to loan him the Potter family heirloom cloak, as Albus knew what it was and he didn't want James to have it when Voldemort attacked. Having two of the Hallows would also make him even more powerful.

' _I'll give the cloak to Harry eventually,'_ Albus thought. _'By the time he's old enough I won't need it anymore. And I'll make sure he doesn't learn what it really is, so he'll never be able to use it to its full potential. But in the meantime, it'll prove most helpful to my other plans.'_

When the Fidelius was cast, James and Lily of course wanted to use Sirius as their Secret Keeper, but Albus was quite pleased when he didn't even have to use the Imperius on them to convince them that was a bad idea. Sirius, was, after all James' best friend and brother in all but blood. If Voldemort thought for a second that the Fidelius was used and obviously Albus would make sure that he did, then Sirius was the very first person he'd go to. No, far better for it to be somebody else more expendable.

' _Besides, Sirius will come in handy in manipulating the boy in the future,'_ Albus thought. _'I just have to make sure that he stays out of the picture until the opportune moment… hmm… ah yes, a stint in Azkaban will work. And one spell and that annoying wolf will go feral and run around in a forest somewhere until I need him.'_

A few months passed and finally on the night of the 31st of October 1981, Albus's plans—which nobody realized were his plans and that's exactly the way he liked it—were a resounding success. Voldemort had attacked the cottage in Godric's Hollow. James and Lily were dead, the boy, Harry, was marked by the Dark Lord, and as an added bonus, the Dark Lord's body was destroyed.

Albus knew that insane man had created Horcruxes, it was as Katerina after all that Albus had made sure that the young Tom Riddle had come across the tidbit of info which had led him to ask Professor Slughorn about the topic. So when his body was destroyed, it was much to his delight, as he realized that in Tom's quest to eliminate a potential threat before it became one, the stupid idiot had weakened his own magical core. Of course, Albus made sure that Tom never found the information that would have warned him what would happen if his original body was destroyed.

Sitting down in his office after dropping off Harry at the Dursleys, Albus smiled, as he thought, _'Everything is going exactly according to plan. James and Lily dead, Sirius on his way on his way to Azkaban, Peter to the Weasleys, and Remus running feral in a forest. Tom weakened… and best of all, Harry with that stupid muggle uncle of his, Lily's sister and that tub of lard they call a son.'_

Albus couldn't help the smile that came to his face at the memory of that day all those years ago when he'd shown up at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Evans to deliver the news that their daughter was a witch. Of course, it was news he never did deliver, so instead, getting the girl's proud parents to leave him alone with the girl, he cast a powerful spell that would block her magical core and that of any offspring she might have. He'd allow the younger sister, Lily, to come to Hogwarts, but Petunia, no she would remain blissfully unaware of the fact that she was a witch.

' _Oh that plan worked out so well,'_ Albus thought. _'Petunia became so jealous of Lily that their relationship became so deliciously strained. And now I've saddled her with Lily's son, who hating magic as much as she does, I know she'll treat accordingly.'_

Some simple-minded fools might question why Albus would go through all these machinations to make sure that young Harry didn't have a happy childhood. But it was all very simple. Harry would grow up in an abusive home and then when he came to Hogwarts, Albus would establish himself as the loving grandfather and get Harry to trust him as the man who saved him from his family. Of course, Harry would have to go back to the Dursleys each summer, to reinforce the idea that they were bad and that Albus was the only one that Harry could trust.

' _I'll tell people that I placed powerful blood wards on the house,'_ Albus thought. _'Wards which will keep Harry safe from Voldemort as long as he calls the home of his mother's blood home. Obviously I have no intention of casting any such wards, but just the thought that they exist will be enough, especially with Tom being disembodied. Even he's not stupid enough to try to go past blood wards to attack someone they protect in an incorporeal state.'_

Making himself a cup of tea, Albus smiled. "It's been a good day."

-o-0-o-

The End.

So there you have the fourth one-shot of 'Along the Journey'. Disturbing as it was, I hope you enjoyed this look into the depraved psyche of Albus Dumbledore, as he's depicted in the Unexpected Love Universe. I realize that some people love Dumbledore, while others hate him. Personally, I'm on the fence and can go either way depending on the needs of the story I'm telling. Love it or hate it, he's evil and dark in this one.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to contact me in a review, by email (Gmail: jaycolin25), my LiveJournal (jaycolin), my Yahoo group (storiesbyjayson), or on Twitter JVascardi. Alternatively, you can also try to contact me via Skype (text messaging only) at .


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